A groundbreaking new drug developed by researchers at University College of London is showing promise in restoring liver and intestinal health. The drug, called “carbon pearls,” has been tested on animal guinea pigs and has shown the ability to reduce bad bacteria and inflammation significantly.
The study, published in Gut, is based on carbon beads licensed from UCL spinout Yaqrit. According to the researchers, the drug also offers benefits for kidney and brain health. Although human trials have not yet begun, UCL experts are confident that the drug will be safe for human use.
Senior author Professor Rajiv Jalan explains, “When the balance of the microbiome is unstable, ‘bad’ bacteria can proliferate and compete with ‘good’ bacteria, leading to intestinal inflammation and damage to other organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain.”
The carbon pearls could be a game-changer for liver diseases, including cirrhosis, which affects millions of people worldwide. The drug has been shown to prevent the progression of scars and liver lesions in animals with cirrhosis.
A small human trial conducted on volunteers with cirrhosis showed promising results with minimal side effects. If the same benefits observed in animal models translate to humans, the carbon pearls could be a valuable tool for treating liver disease and other conditions associated with poor microbiome health.
Michal Kowalski, vice president of Yaqrit, explains, “Our new carbon pearls are smaller than a grain of salt and work by absorbing toxins produced by ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut, creating a better environment for good bacteria to thrive and preventing damage to other areas of the body.”
The potential of the carbon pearls as a treatment for liver and intestinal health is exciting, and further research is underway to determine the drug’s effectiveness in humans.