Perceptive Discovery, which provides molecular and functional imaging research, has announced the launch of the FIBRE (fibrosis imaging biomarker research and evaluation) Consortium, a pre-competitive collaboration with Pfizer, Lantheus, and Lumina Pharmaceuticals.
The initiative aims to revolutionise the treatment of multi-organ fibrotic diseases by advancing imaging biomarkers to accelerate the development of life-changing therapies.
The FIBRE Consortium brings together expertise in drug development and advanced imaging to address a significant and growing unmet medical need. By leveraging positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the consortium aims to identify and validate early disease biomarkers, streamlining and optimising the development of disease-modifying therapies for fibrosis. All studies will be conducted at the Perceptive Discovery London Imaging Center.
Initial studies will focus on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with potential future expansion into other fibrotic conditions. Imaging research will evaluate tracers targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and collagen Type I in both patients and healthy volunteers to detect biomarkers of early disease progression.
“Fibrotic diseases are progressive and debilitating, with a pressing need for therapies that can truly modify the course of the disease,” said Eugenii A. Rabiner, EVP and global head of translational applications at Perceptive Discovery.
“Molecular and functional imaging biomarkers offer a powerful way to transform early-phase drug development—enabling more precise decisions, reducing trial size and cost, and increasing the likelihood of success in bringing new therapies to the patients who need them most.”
The FIBRE Consortium also represents a step toward standardising care for fibrotic diseases by promoting cross-sector collaboration and shared data. Inspired by the success of MIND MAPS (molecular imaging in neurodegeneration – mitochondria, associated proteins, and synapses), a previous collaboration between Perceptive Discovery, Pfizer and other leading pharma/academic collaborators, FIBRE is designed to expand cross-disease biomarker research and attract new biotech and pharmaceutical partners. Each new member will have the opportunity to lead disease-specific cohort studies and contribute to a growing foundation of knowledge shaping the future of fibrosis treatment.
Radiopharmaceutical company Lantheus will supply the precursor to its PET imaging agent targeting FAP (LNTH-1363S), which will be radiolabeled with 18F by Perceptive for clinical research use in the FIBRE consortium studies. FAP is a membrane-bound dipeptidyl peptidase that is selectively expressed in activated fibroblasts during the development and progression of fibrosis.
Lumina Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, will contribute [⁶⁸Ga]CBP8, a tracer targeting collagen Type I, the dominant collagen type produced during pathological fibrosis. [⁶⁸Ga]CBP8 PET imaging has been shown to quantify pulmonary fibrosis in patients and measure collagen changes over time or in response to therapeutic intervention.
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