Clinical trials in liver stem cell transplantation therapy represent a frontier in medical research, particularly for conditions like late-stage liver disease, where traditional treatment options are limited. Eric Schuur, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of HepaTx, shares invaluable insights into the design and execution of these trials, highlighting the challenges and innovative strategies employed to advance this potentially life-saving therapy.
How is Your Clinical Trial Design Revolutionizing Treatment for Late-Stage Liver Disease?
Eric Schuur: Our clinical trials are meticulously designed to address the acute need for alternatives to liver transplantation. By focusing on patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis, we’re targeting a group with few to no other treatment options. Our therapy’s unique properties, including anti-inflammatory effects and the ability to stimulate hepatocyte growth, are key in addressing the disease’s progression. This targeted approach, developed in collaboration with hepatologists and transplant surgeons, allows us to address critical aspects of liver disease that have been challenging to treat.
The technology licensed from Stanford, developed in Gary Peltz’s lab, is a cornerstone of our approach. It allows for faster and consistent manufacturing of cell therapies. This innovation not only enhances the therapeutic effect of the cells but also ensures scalability and affordability, critical factors in making this therapy accessible to a broader patient base.
What Specific Liver Conditions Are Prioritized in Your Clinical Trials, and Why?
Eric Schuur: The primary focus is on acute liver failure due to alcohol-related hepatitis, a condition desperately in need of effective treatments. The lack of existing therapeutic options for this condition presents not only a high unmet medical need but also an opportunity for our therapy to make a significant impact. This strategic prioritization helps in navigating the complex landscape of regulatory approvals and patient benefits quickly.
Can You Describe the Regulatory Challenges and Pathways for This Novel Therapy?
Eric Schuur: Navigating the regulatory landscape for such an innovative therapy presents its own set of challenges. However, the FDA has shown an encouraging stance towards cell and gene therapies. The FDA’s initiative, the INTERACT meetings, has provided us with valuable early feedback. While we have successfully passed these initial stages, we are preparing for more detailed discussions during the pre-IND and IND meetings, anticipating critical feedback that will shape the future of our trials.
What Are the Foreseen Challenges in Conducting These Clinical Trials, and What Are Your Strategies to Overcome Them?
Eric Schuur: The significant challenges we anticipate revolve around patient recruitment and retention, particularly given the severity of their conditions and potential challenges in their lifestyles. We have engaged key opinion leaders familiar with this patient demographic to guide our trial design and execution, ensuring we can effectively enroll and retain participants.
How Are You Ensuring Patient Safety and Monitoring During the Trials?
Eric Schuur: Patient safety is our utmost priority. We have established a data safety monitoring board, comprising experienced physicians to oversee the trials. They will monitor safety data and ensure adherence to predefined stopping rules based on patients’ clinical progression. Additionally, we will closely monitor indicators of liver failure and other related complications to address any safety concerns promptly.
Ethical considerations are paramount, especially given the vulnerability of our target patient population. We are working closely with hepatologists for recruitment, ensuring that all participants can provide informed consent. Our approach is focused on treating patients with dignity and respect, regardless of their background or lifestyle.
Can You Elaborate on Your Strategic Approach to Scaling Up These Trials?
Eric Schuur: Our scaling-up strategy involves carefully transitioning from early-phase trials with safety endpoints to later-phase trials with efficacy endpoints. Borrowing strategies from oncology, we plan to use early-phase trials to gather efficacy signals. Successful outcomes could lead us to a randomized Phase 2 trial, with the potential for expedited regulatory approval due to the high unmet medical need we are addressing.
Summary
HepaTx is inspiring those at the forefront of medical research and patient care by providing an in-depth look at the pioneering work in liver self-transplantation therapy. The relentless pursuit of solutions to some of the most challenging medical conditions are paving the way for a future where more effective and accessible liver treatments are a reality.
Moe Alsumidaie is Chief Editor of The Clinical Trial Vanguard. Moe holds decades of experience in the clinical trials industry. Moe also serves as Head of Research at CliniBiz and Chief Data Scientist at Annex Clinical Corporation.
