The next milestone in the treatment of liver tumors and acute and chronic liver diseases

The results of the Tübingen-led study raise hopes that the newly developed drug could usher in a new era in tumor liver surgery and liver transplantation. The drug may even significantly improve the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases.

The drug candidate HRX-215 is a so-called MKK4 inhibitor. In other words, the administered drug inhibits the MKK4 protein found in liver cells, leading to increased liver cell regeneration. The research results are currently published in a diary cell.

The preclinical and phase I study was carried out in collaboration with Professor Lars Soender, Medical Director of Medical Oncology and Respiratory Medicine at the University Hospital Tübingen, scientists from Tübingen, the Tübingen start-up HepaRegeniX and researchers from Mayo University. It has become possible. Clinic (USA).

Preclinical studies in animal models have shown that increased liver regeneration induced by HRX-215 may enable previously impossible liver surgeries. For example, in the case of an advanced liver tumor, it is impossible to remove all the diseased tissue. This causes the rest of the liver to stop functioning.

Thanks to HRX-215’s ability to rapidly promote liver regeneration, complete resection may now be possible even in people with advanced liver tumors. Additionally, this active substance will allow us to offer life-saving liver transplants to more people. A Phase I study in 48 healthy volunteers showed the drug’s excellent safety and tolerability.

Liver disease as a growing health problem

Liver disease is a global health problem, causing more than 2 million deaths annually. The number of deaths has increased by 50% in recent decades and is expected to double in the next 20 years. The liver is an organ with the ability to self-regenerate, but there are limits to its properties.

Particularly in chronic and acute liver disease, or after surgical removal of large portions of the organ, liver cells cannot regenerate adequately, often leading to fatal liver failure. Liver transplantation remains the last option for patients with end-stage liver disease. However, due to organ shortages, only 10% of affected patients receive life-saving liver transplants.

Clinical results lead to hope

Until now, no drug existed that could promote the regeneration of a damaged liver; cell The introduction of the new drug HRX-215 is a groundbreaking event.

Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht, Managing Director of the Tübingen-based start-up HepaRegeniX, said: “Positive results in terms of safety and tolerability indicate a drug that has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of acute liver diseases. “This confirms our intention to deliver this soon.” . The current achievements and his HepaRegeniX spin-off were primarily made possible by a groundbreaking discovery by Lars Zender and his lab in 2013.

“By inhibiting the kinase MKK4, we can trigger a self-healing function in the injured liver,” said lead author Stefan Zwirner, summarizing the findings.

Are there possible solutions to the organ donation shortage?

“HRX-215 will not only provide an urgently needed treatment option for the surgical removal of liver tumors, but also help overcome the major problem of organ shortage in the field of liver transplantation,” said Professor Zehnder. do. application. Living donor transplantation from a small portion of the left side of a healthy donor’s liver may be a solution, as its removal poses little health risk to the healthy donor.

However, this part of the liver is often too small to take over the functions of the liver removed from the recipient. “Due to the rapid promotion of liver regeneration mediated by HRX-215, we believe that HRX-215 treatment may enable safe transplantation of small left liver lobes in normal-sized adults,” continued Professor Zehnder. However, this will need to be demonstrated in clinical studies in the future.

Provided by University of Tübingen