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Pliant Therapeutics Announces Presentations at the International Liver Congress™ 2022 Highlighting Preclinical and Clinical Data in Support of the INTEGRIS-PSC Phase 2a Clinical Trial
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLRX), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on
About this update from Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLRX), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrosis, today announced the presentation of two scientific posters at the International Liver Congress™ (ILC) 2022 of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), taking place June 22-26, 2022, in London, United Kingdom. “Our presentations at this year’s International Liver Congress summarize the translational research findings supporting the hepatic antifibrotic activity of PLN-74809, an oral dual αvß6 / αvß1 integrin inhibitor,” said Éric Lefebvre, M.D., Chief Medical Offer at Pliant Therapeutics. “Preliminary safety data from the INTEGRIS-PSC study continue to show a favorable tolerability profile for PLN-74809.” The poster “Rationale for Evaluation of PLN-74809 Treatment in Participants with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis in Phase a Study INTEGRIS-PSC” summarized preclinical data on the antifibrotic activity of PLN-74809 in two preclinical models of biliary fibrosis as well as in precision-cut liver slices from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) or primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Results showed dose-dependent reductions of key drivers of fibrosis in a mouse model of biliary fibrosis including hepatic collagen, collagen proportionate area, TGF-β signaling and cholestasis. In precision-cut liver slices, PLN-74809 reduced TGF-β-driven COL1A1 and COL1A2 gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, PLN-74809 demonstrated a favorable tolerability profile based on available blinded safety data and pharmacokinetic findings from participants with PSC enrolled in Part 1 of the ongoing Phase 2a INTEGRIS-PSC study (NCT04480840) that evaluated a once-daily dose of 40 mg. The evaluation of PLN-74809 at doses of 80 mg and 160 mg is currently underway. The poster “Dual Inhibition of Integrins αvß6 and αvß1 Decreases Portal Pressure and Liver Fibrosis in Rats with Biliary Cirrhosis” reviewed preclinical data showing that PLN-75068, a dual αvß6 / αvß1 inhibitor tool compound, reduced TGF-β signaling in the livers of rats with biliary cirrhosis as measured by the reduction of SMAD2 phosphorylation. In addition, a dose-dependent decrease in liver fibrosis, as assessed by collagen p...