The liver is the only organ in the human body capable of regenerating itself. Boehringer Ingelheim has begun a research alliance with a startup to see if its technology can produce new therapies that tap into the liver’s capacity for regeneration and repair.

肝脏是人体内唯一能够自我再生的器官。勃林格殷格翰（BoehringerIngelheim）已开始与一家初创公司建立研究联盟，以了解其技术是否能够产生新的疗法，利用肝脏的再生和修复能力。

Boehringer is committing to pay Ochre Bio to up to $35 million to begin the partnership, which is focused on identifying, characterizing, and validating multiple novel regenerative targets for chronic liver diseases. Specific targets were not disclosed, but Monday’s announcement describes the deal as a multi-target, multi-year collaboration..

勃林格（Boehringer）承诺向赭石生物（Ochre Bio）支付至多3500万美元，以启动该合作关系，该合作关系的重点是确定、表征和验证慢性肝病的多种新型再生靶标。具体目标尚未披露，但周一的公告将该交易描述为一项多目标、多年合作。。

Ochre develops RNA medicines for chronic liver diseases. The Oxford, U.K.-based startup hasn’t disclosed details about its internal pipeline, but the company discovers the targets for its drugs with a technology platform that’s a combination of experimental and computational approaches.

赭石开发用于慢性肝病的RNA药物。这家总部位于英国牛津的初创公司尚未透露其内部管道的细节，但该公司通过一个结合实验和计算方法的技术平台发现了其药物的目标。

Ochre runs tests on donor livers that aren’t suitable for transplant but still have value for drug research. Machines mimic the body’s physiological conditions to keep the livers functioning. Meanwhile, tests on the organs yield data that Ochre analyzes with machine learning techniques. The company says that rather than relying on animal models that aren’t predictive of what an experimental therapy will do in humans, its approach generates human-relevant data.

赭石对不适合移植但仍有药物研究价值的供体肝脏进行测试。机器模仿身体的生理状况，以保持肝脏的功能。同时，对器官的测试产生了Ochre用机器学习技术分析的数据。该公司表示，与其依赖于无法预测实验疗法对人类的作用的动物模型，不如利用其方法生成与人类相关的数据。

This liver testing is conducted at a research site in New York..

这项肝脏测试是在纽约的一个研究地点进行的。。

Germany-based Boehringer already has a clinical-stage program for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, the fatty liver disease known as MASH. Boehringer’s peptide drug candidate, survodutide, activates the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors to trigger metabolic effects. In February, Boehringer reported data showing treatment with survodutide led to liver improvement in MASH patients, meeting the main goal of its Phase 2 clinical trial..

总部位于德国的勃林格已经为代谢功能障碍相关的脂肪性肝炎（一种称为MASH的脂肪肝）制定了临床阶段计划。勃林格的肽候选药物survodutide激活GLP-1和胰高血糖素受体以触发代谢作用。2月，勃林格（Boehringer）报告的数据显示，使用舒沃杜肽治疗可改善MASH患者的肝脏，达到其2期临床试验的主要目标。。

Survodutide’s clinical trial results keep it competitive with tirzepatide, a metabolic disorder drug from Eli Lilly that also has positive mid-stage data in MASH. Both drugs are chasing Madrigal Pharmaceutical’s Rezdiffra, whose FDA approval last month made that once-daily pill the first therapy for MASH.

Survodutide的临床试验结果使其与来自礼来的代谢紊乱药物tirzepatide具有竞争力，该药物在MASH中也具有积极的中期数据。这两种药物都在追逐Madrigal Pharmaceutical的Rezdiffra，后者上月获得FDA批准，使这种每日一次的药丸成为MASH的第一种疗法。

Madrigal’s small molecule targets a receptor that mediates metabolic activity, including metabolization of fat. The liver benefit from all of these drugs is believed to come from fat reduction..

Madrigal的小分子靶向介导代谢活动（包括脂肪代谢）的受体。据信，所有这些药物对肝脏的益处都来自减肥。。

Rezdiffra’s approval does not include treatment of MASH patients with stage 4 fibrosis, the most advanced stage of the disease. At this stage, patients have liver cirrhosis whose only recourse is an organ transplant. Boehringer and Ochre note that there are no approved medicines for chronic liver disease that has reached this advanced state.

Rezdiffra的批准不包括治疗患有4期纤维化的MASH患者，这是该疾病的最晚期。在这个阶段，患者患有肝硬化，其唯一的求助途径是器官移植。勃林格（Boehringer）和赭石（Ochre）指出，目前还没有批准用于治疗慢性肝病的药物达到这种先进状态。

Boehringer aims to develop therapies that modulate regenerative targets to prevent or even reverse the progression of liver diseases. The companies say this goal is important because with the progression of chronic liver disease, the organ’s ability to regenerate and repair itself diminishes..

勃林格旨在开发调节再生靶点的疗法，以预防甚至逆转肝病的进展。这些公司表示，这一目标很重要，因为随着慢性肝病的进展，器官的再生和修复能力下降。。

A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. .

特种药物是一类用于治疗复杂、慢性或罕见疾病的处方药。虽然这种分类最初是为了定义罕见病（也称为“孤儿”疾病）的治疗方法，但在美国影响不到20万人，最近，特种药物已成为治疗癌症，自身免疫性疾病，糖尿病，丙型肝炎和艾滋病毒/艾滋病等慢性和复杂疾病的基石。

“Ochre Bio brings to the table unique and exciting capabilities in liver disease research,” Søren Tullin, senior vice president and global head of cardiometabolic diseases research, Boehringer Ingelheim, said in a prepared statement. “We believe their application of advanced genomics and machine learning coupled with human-centric translational models holds the potential to uncover novel regenerative pathways that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by chronic liver disease.”.

Boehringer Ingelheim高级副总裁兼心脏代谢疾病研究全球负责人Søren Tullin在一份准备好的声明中表示：“赭石生物在肝病研究中带来了独特而令人兴奋的能力。”。“我们相信，他们将先进的基因组学和机器学习与以人类为中心的翻译模型相结合，有可能发现新的再生途径，这将对慢性肝病患者的生活产生重大影响。”。

The $35 million sum that kicks off the collaboration is a combination of upfront and near-term research-based milestone payments. If therapies from the alliance achieve clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, Boehringer’s payments to Ochre could top $1 billion.

启动合作的3500万美元是前期和近期基于研究的里程碑付款的组合。如果该联盟的疗法达到临床、监管和商业里程碑，勃林格对赭石的付款可能会超过10亿美元。