LG Chem, partnering with Chinese firm TransThera Biosciences, has applied for a phase 1 clinical trial of its nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treatment in the US, the company said Friday.

LG Chem’s pipeline TT-01025 is an investigational new drug for NASH, short for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a chronic dysfunction of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis or cancer.

“With close collaboration with TransThera Biosciences, we expect to enter clinical trials more quickly than previously anticipated,” said Son Ji-woong, head of LG Chem’s Life Science Business Division.

LG Chem licensed in TT-01025 from TransThera in August, recognizing the pipeline’s ability to repress the VAP-1 protein that is known to be involved in the progression of liver inflammation.

In preclinical trials, the TT-01025 has shown the ability to selectively target VAP-1, dodging the hurdles regarding chemical interaction that VAP-1 inhibitors commonly had in the past when used in combination with other drugs, LG Chem said.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)