Espervita’s EVT0185 Demonstrates Reversal of Metabolic Dysfunction and Liver Fibrosis in Cell Metabolism Publication
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Espervita Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing targeted metabolic reprogramming therapies, announced the publication in Cell Metabolism of groundbreaking preclinical data demonstrating that its lead compound, EVT0185, a first-in-class dual inhibitor of ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) and acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), resolves Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) and liver fibrosis while simultaneously reducing blood glucose and cholesterol. Unlike current therapies that reduce liver fat without directly inhibiting the hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) responsible for fibrosis, EVT0185 acts within the liver to directly reprogram fundamental metabolic pathways in both HSCs and hepatocytes, targeting the shared drivers of MASH fibrosis and metabolic dysfunction.
Unmet Need
Obesity and type 2 diabetes affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and are key drivers of MASH, now the fastest-growing cause of advanced liver disease, liver cancer, and transplantation.
Key findings include:
- Improvement in insulin sensitivity alongside reductions in hepatic steatosis and inflammation, without increasing plasma triglycerides – a common limitation of prior metabolic therapies.
- Reversal of hepatic fibrosis by 38%.
- Direct inhibition of HSC activation.
- Efficacy in human liver slices and primary human HSCs, confirming dual metabolic and antifibrotic activity, supporting clinical translatability.
“These findings mark a transformative step in our mission to develop precision metabolic reprogramming therapies that restore liver metabolic function rather than simply slowing disease progression,” said Spencer Heaton M.D., CEO at Espervita Therapeutics. “With EVT0185, we are advancing a first-in-class therapy designed to address the core metabolic drivers of disease – reducing blood glucose and cholesterol while directly reversing liver steatosis and fibrosis – offering the potential to fundamentally change the course of not only liver diseases but also type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
About Espervita Therapeutics
Espervita Therapeutics is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery of liver and kidney targeted metabolic reprogramming therapies. The company’s lead compound, EVT0185, is a first-in-class inhibitor of acetyl-CoA metabolic enzymes that are responsible for the production and utilization of cytosolic acetyl-CoA. EVT0185 was previously reported in Nature to reduce MASH-driven hepatocellular carcinoma by enhancing tumor immunogenicity, establishing its potential to address both systemic metabolic disease and its downstream complications.
Learn more at www.espervita.com.
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SOURCE Espervita Therapeutics, Inc.
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