Admilparant biomarker analysis maps how LPA1 blockade acts in lung fibrosis
A Phase 2 exploratory analysis links admilparant to shifts in circulating proteins tied to epithelial injury and fibrosis, offering a mechanistic readout to accompany the trial's earlier lung-function findings.
Executive Summary
- A Phase 2 trial of an oral LPA1 antagonist in patients with idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis was analyzed for circulating biomarker changes underlying its previously reported lung-function effect.
- Treatment at the higher dose shifted a distinct panel of serum proteins linked to epithelial injury, inflammation, and collagen turnover in both fibrosis cohorts, with a smaller set of markers separating clinical responders from non-responders.
- The biomarker panel gives investigators a molecular lens on how LPA1 blockade might act in fibrotic lung disease and identifies candidate markers that could help track treatment response and disease activity going forward.
The finding
The analysis draws on NCT04308681, a completed Phase 2 trial that randomized 403 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) to twice-daily admilparant (BMS-986278) at 30 mg or 60 mg, or placebo, for 26 weeks. That trial's registered primary endpoint measured the percent change from baseline in percent predicted forced vital capacity (ppFVC), a spirometry measure of lung function decline, in the IPF cohort. The biomarker work sits on top of that structure: it asks not whether lung function changed, but what circulating proteins moved alongside it. NCT04308681+1A Study Measuring the Effectiveness, Safety, and Tolerability of BMS-986278 in Participants With Lung FibrosisNCT04308681Biomarker profiles in idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis after LPA1 antagonism: exploratory analysis from a phase 2 trial of admilparant.Jul 16, 2026
How it was done
The exploratory analysis measured changes from baseline in serum proteins associated with epithelial injury, inflammation, and fibrosis by quantitative immunoassay at weeks 4, 12, and 26, comparing admilparant-treated patients with placebo in the IPF cohort (n=276) and PPF cohort (n=116) analyzed separately. Pharmacodynamic biomarker changes were also compared by clinical response status at week 26, and plasma samples from IPF patients were assessed post hoc using the SomaScan v4.1 proteomics platform. Statistical evaluation used linear mixed-effects models, with significance set at p<0.05 for the immunoassay panel and adjusted p<0.1 for the proteomic analysis. BiomarkerBiomarker profiles in idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis after LPA1 antagonism: exploratory analysis from a phase 2 trial of admilparant.Jul 16, 2026
What moved
In the IPF cohort, nine serum proteins changed at week 26 with 60-mg admilparant versus placebo: adiponectin, MMIF, CD163, CEA, and ENRAGE increased, while markers tied to epithelial injury and fibrosis, including CA-125/MUC16, MMP-7, TN-C, and PRO-FIB, decreased. In the PPF cohort, eleven proteins moved at week 26, with CEA rising and periostin, IL6Rβ, CD163, KIM-1, several inflammatory markers (YKL-40, VCAM-1, PECAM-1, ferritin), and two collagen-degradation markers (C3M, C4M) falling. BiomarkerBiomarker profiles in idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis after LPA1 antagonism: exploratory analysis from a phase 2 trial of admilparant.Jul 16, 2026
Response signal
Two of the IPF markers, CA-125 and TN-C, showed larger changes in patients classified as clinical responders than non-responders at week 26, a secondary finding that ties the biomarker shifts directly to the trial's own definition of treatment benefit rather than treatment exposure alone. Post hoc plasma proteomics in the IPF cohort separately flagged five proteins, including adiponectin, CKMT1A, ANGPTL3, PDCD1LG2, and IGFBP6, with differential expression at week 26 under the 60-mg dose, pointing toward mitochondrial and metabolic pathways as an additional area the biomarker data touch. BiomarkerBiomarker profiles in idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis after LPA1 antagonism: exploratory analysis from a phase 2 trial of admilparant.Jul 16, 2026
Context
The trial that generated this dataset carries Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA for progressive pulmonary fibrosis, along with Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Admilparant is now advancing in a Phase 3 program (NCT07441408) that carries the same LPA1 target into a broader pulmonary fibrosis population, making the biomarker panel identified here a candidate set of measures that later-stage testing could use to track treatment response and disease activity.
This analysis was produced using AI-assisted reporting systems, AppliedXL data, and official public records. These systems undergo editorial review, quality checks, and regular audits by human experts. Errors may still occur, as with any automated system. Always consult the linked primary sources. Read our AI Editorial Policy.