McMaster University researchers are conducting preclinical studies on a novel drug candidate developed by Espervita Therapeutics that has the potential to prevent and reverse liver fibrosis – a dangerous, disease-related buildup of scar tissue in the liver that often leads to cancer.
The findings suggest a potential new treatment for millions of people with liver disease and fill a significant gap, as there are currently no approved drugs in Canada. The promising results were published in the journal Cell Metabolism in January 2026.
Liver fibrosis is a late-stage symptom of a condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which most commonly occurs in people with obesity or other metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
In addition to cancer, liver fibrosis can also contribute to heart attack and stroke and ultimately require a liver transplant. Despite the severity of these consequences, treatment options for MASH and other liver diseases remain limited, according to researchers.
“Currently, there are no approved drugs in Canada to treat MASH,” explains Greg Steinberg , a professor in McMaster University’s Department of Medicine and lead author of the study. “Patients are currently typically prescribed a Mediterranean diet and recommendations for lifestyle and exercise. However, specific medical interventions are not approved in Canada. And although two therapies were recently approved in the U.S. and E.U., these drugs were only able to reduce fibrosis in about one-third of patients.”
Steinberg, a board member of NexusHealth at McMaster University, explains that while the current treatment paradigm can slow the progression of liver disease in some cases, it typically does not reverse existing fibrotic damage. However, according to initial preclinical data, a new drug candidate characterized in his lab as part of a research collaboration with Espervita Therapeutics *does* achieve this.
In the study, Steinberg’s research team – in collaboration with researchers from the United States, France, and Australia – demonstrated the strong healing and regenerative effects of a novel small-molecule therapy in disease models.
The drug candidate developed by Espervita Therapeutics, for which Steinberg serves as Chief Scientific Officer, shareholder, and co-founder, is being evaluated as part of a research partnership with McMaster University. There, scientists have shown that it can help control blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels, and break down fat deposits that cause liver fibrosis.
The compound EVT0185 was first described as a potential treatment option for liver cancer after its promising anti-tumor effect was detailed in an article in the renowned journal Nature. And although it continues to hold great potential as a cancer therapeutic, this latest discovery shows that it is also a possible treatment option for MASH.
“There is an enormous need for drugs that reduce liver fibrosis while having a positive effect on blood sugar and cholesterol,” says Steinberg, co-director of the Center for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research at McMaster University. “This drug candidate fills an important therapeutic gap and has the potential to fundamentally change the treatment of severe liver diseases, thereby preventing liver cancer and other complications such as diabetes and heart disease.”
The new small molecule, which simultaneously targets two enzymes important for controlling fat synthesis and fat burning, ACLY and ACSS2, triggers a phenomenon in the body that Steinberg calls a “carbon release valve,” which prevents harmful substances from accumulating in the liver and bloodstream, instead directing them out of the body via urine.
According to Steinberg, the development of the new multi-purpose compound is on track to enter clinical trials by 2027, subject to the completion of preclinical and toxicological studies.
This study was supported by funding from Espervita Therapeutics, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, MITACS, and McMaster University.
