New preclinical data on the novel fibroblast tracer ATH001 (also called Z09591) has recently been published by a team at Uppsala University. Antaros Tracer, a sister company to Antaros Medical, is leading the clinical development of ATH001 as a non-invasive tool for imaging of fibrogenesis.
The need for new biomarkers of fibrosis
Fibrosis can occur in almost any organ or tissue in the body and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide. Current methods to assess fibrosis are either invasive or not sensitive enough to detect early fibrosis. There is a high need to develop non-invasive methods to detect, stage and elucidate the molecular processes that drive the pathology of fibrosis and enable assessment of treatment effects in the search for novel antifibrotic drugs.
ATH001 as a tracer for fibogenesis
ATH001 is a tracer that is being developed to probe the presence of platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ). PDGFRβ plays a key role in development of fibrosis and is a known biomarker of activated hepatic stellate cells in the liver. Previously presented data on this tracer (EASL 2022) has shown specific binding to hepatic fibrotic lesions. The current paper gives further evidence for the use of ATH001 as a non-invasive tool for imaging of fibrogenesis in the liver. Find the details around the publication below:
Title: Imaging of fibrogenesis in the liver by [18F]TZ-Z09591, an Affibody molecule targeting Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor β
Authors: Wegrzyniak O, Zhang B, Rokka J, Rosestedt M, Mitran B, Cheung P, Puuvuori E, Ingvast S, Persson J, Nordström H, Löfblom J, Pontén F, Frejd FY, Korsgren O, Eriksson J, Eriksson O
Find the publication here