Treating Intestinal Failure-Associated Liver Disease

SLU ID 23-004 | Methods and agents for treating IFALD

Background

Small bowel resection can occur due to conditions like necrotizing enterocolitis that can present in neonates, trauma to the bowels, or disease of the bowels that requires surgical removal of a major segment of the small intestine. A major complication of small bowel resection is intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). Roughly 40 to 60 percent of infants who require long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for intestinal failure and 15 to 40 percent of adults on home parenteral nutrition (PN) develop intestinal failure-associated liver disease.

Overview

Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed methods of treating intestinal failure-associated liver disease that employ a composition comprising either a gut-restricted LXR agonist or a LXR inverse agonist. The method has been demonstrated in vivo using mice.

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• Increasing the ability to tailor treatment to specific patients

• Minimizing the speed at which the disease onsets

• Minimizing the speed at which the disease progresses

• Increasing the efficacy of treatment

Applications

The potential applications of this technology include treating intestinal failure-associated liver disease.

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking a partner to further develop and commercialize this technology.

References

• Han, Y-H, Onufer, E. J., Huang, L-H, Sprung, R. W., Davidson, W. S., Czepielewski, R. S., Wohltmann, M., Sorci-Thomas, M. G., Warner, B. W., & Randolph, G. W. (2021). Enterically derived high-density liporotein restrains liver injury through the portal vein. Science, 373(6553). https://doi.10.1126/science.abe6729