Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PF) describes a group of interstitial lung diseases characterized by scarring (fibrosis) of the lung and decline of respiratory function over time. Among these, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and severe form with no identifiable cause and a median survival of 2–5 years.
Current anti-fibrotic drugs slow down disease progression but do not reverse existing fibrosis or cure the disease. Common side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms or liver toxicity may limit long-term use of these drugs for some individuals.
CAL056 is an oral, first-in-class HECT domain-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase inhibitor that suppresses profibrogenic signaling by Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGFβ), a central regulator of fibrogenesis that is activated and upregulated in PF.
