- The research collaboration agreement covers a joint clinical retrospective study on liver fibrosis severity in Non-Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis (NASH) patients
- The collaboration will enable Median to work on a large NASH patient cohort to lead the validation of its iBiopsy®’s AI technology, applied to liver fibrosis characterization
- The Liver Center at UC San Diego is a world-renowned university and healthcare center for liver diseases, with a focus on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) & NASH
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#IA–Regulatory News:
Median Technologies (Paris:ALMDT) (ALMDT:PA) announces today the company has signed a research collaboration agreement with the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) aimed at carrying out a study that will be used for its proprietary imaging platform iBiopsy® validation. The study is related to the iBiopsy® NASH Clinical Development Plan (CDP).
It is estimated that NASH is affecting 1.5-6.45 % of the global population1. There is currently no cure for advanced stage of the disease and diagnosing the disease early can save patients’ lives as NASH, in its early stage, is reversible through changes in eating habits and lifestyle. The clinical interest is therefore to distinguish accurately and non-invasively patients with early fibrosis from patients with advanced fibrosis at risk of progressing to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In this clinical context, the objective of Median’s retrospective study with UC San Diego is to quantify the ability of iBiopsy®’s learning algorithms to discriminate between early and advanced fibrosis grade in NASH patients.
The study is led by Dr. Kathryn Fowler, MD, Diagnostic Radiologist, Professor of Radiology at UC San Diego, as Principal Investigator. It will be conducted retrospectively on a cohort of 300+ patients. Median expects confirming the promising results on the NASH Clinical Development Plan, which were released in November 2020. First results of the Median-UC San Diego study are currently expected in Q1, 2022.
UC San Diego is known as a leading university and health care center in the US with worldwide recognition for their work in the field of liver disease, with a strong focus on NALFD and NASH. UC San Diego has been recently ranked #1 in the world for gastroenterology and hepatology (liver) research, based on physicians’ research reputation and publications, by the US News and World Report2.
Beyond the validation of Median’s iBiopsy® technology and its performance to discriminate between early and advanced fibrosis grade in NASH patients, this strategic collaboration with UC San Diego will help advance clinical research intended to improve NASH patient diagnosis and monitoring.
“Magnetic Resonance Imaging is well positioned to provide biomarkers for noninvasive diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring in patients with fatty liver disease,” said Kathryn Fowler, MD, Diagnostic Radiologist and Professor of Radiology at UC San Diego. “The development and validation of these biomarkers is a primary focus of the Liver Imaging Group at the University of California, San Diego.”
“We are delighted with this agreement between Median and UC San Diego. The University of California San Diego is the world largest university and health care center for liver diseases and has gained world recognition for the quality of its research and publications”, said Fredrik Brag, founder and CEO of Median. “The development of a noninvasive biomarker to diagnose early NASH is critical for patients. There is currently no cure for advanced stage of the disease and diagnosing the disease early can save patients’ lives. This major collaboration will complement our first validation steps in 2020 and support our go to market strategy”, he added.
About iBiopsy®
iBiopsy® is based on the most advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, benefiting from Median’s expertise in Data Science and medical image processing. iBiopsy® targets the development of non-invasive image-based diagnosis tests and solutions to be used in several indications for which there are unmet needs regarding early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment selection in the context of precision medicine. Several indications are already targeted for liver diseases (NASH and HCC) and for the use of immuno-oncology drugs.
Median’s iBiopsy® development program is supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) through a financial loan of €35 million under the Juncker Plan, the European Fund for Strategic Investments, which aims to support research and innovation projects developed by companies with high growth potential.
About Median Technologies: Median Technologies provides innovative imaging solutions and services to advance healthcare for everyone. We leverage the power of Imaging Phenomics to provide insights into novel therapies and treatment strategies. Our unique solutions for medical image analysis and management in oncology trials and iBiopsy® for imaging phenotyping, together with our global team of experts, are advancing the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools to monitor disease and assess response to therapy. Median Technologies supports biopharmaceutical sponsors and healthcare professionals around the world to quickly and precisely bring new treatments to patients in need. This is how we are helping to create a healthier world.
Founded in 2002, based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, with a subsidiary in the US and another one in Shanghai, Median has received the label “Innovative company” by the BPI and is listed on the Euronext Growth market. FR0011049824– ticker: ALMDT. Median is eligible for the French SME equity savings plan scheme (PEA-PME), listed on the Enternext® PEA-PME 150 index and has been awarded the Euronext European Rising Tech label. For more information: www.mediantechnologies.com
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1https://www.the-nash-education-program.com/what-is-nash/how-prevalent-is-nash/
2https://www.newsbreak.com/california/san-diego/lifestyle/2091578133256/us-news-world-report-uc-san-diego-1-for-gastroenterology-and-hepatology-research
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