Background

Liver fibrosis involves the replacement of healthy liver tissue with scar tissue and is a leading cause of liver failure and liver-related mortality. In the United States, liver fibrosis is highly prevalent due to high rates of obesity and type II diabetes. The typical disease progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease starts with accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, which can lead to a condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that is characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the liver. NASH affects up to 12% of adults in the United States and fibrosis associated with NASH, potentially triggered by liver injury and inflammation, is currently the strongest predictor of patient mortality.

There is no FDA-approved therapy for NASH or for