Technologies

Market Summary

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Many of the patients with NASH further progress to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma. The growing obesity and diabetes rate throughout the world are increasing the cases of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is one of the leading causes of liver transplant. Despite such a high prevalence and the severity of the disease there is currently no FDA approved drug for treating NASH.

Technical Summary

Emory researchers have recently demonstrated that the monoclonal antibody, Vedolizumab, would be an excellent treatment option for patients with NASH. The pre-clinical data demonstrate that integrin α4β7 mAb mediated blocking of inflammatory CD4 T cell infiltration in the liver and intestinal mucosa. α4β7 mAb is a potentially promising approach to treat NAFLD, NASH and liver fibrosis. Integrin α4β7 mAb has been tested in several clinical trials and shown to be safe in patients. The availability of clinical safety data will significantly reduce the approval time to repurpose α4β7 mAb for the treatment of NAFLD, NASH and liver fibrosis.