UK-based AI-powered imaging solutions provider Brainomix has teamed up with the TIPAL trial group to run a sub-study to evaluate the performance of its advanced e-Lung platform.
The TIPAL trial is financed by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and is sponsored by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals (NNUH) NHS Foundation Trust.
It is a placebo-controlled 52-week multi-centre study designed to evaluate the impact of lansoprazole on patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
IPF is characterised by a persistent decline in lung function, with a variable disease trajectory.
Lansoprazole is a commonly prescribed medication for indigestion, heartburn and gastroesophageal-reflux-disease (GORD).
The study is expected to enrol 298 patients, who will perform home spirometry tests to measure their forced vital capacity (FVC).
It will compare the daily assessments taken at baseline and 12 months post-randomisation, to analyse the impact of lansoprazole on change in predicted FVC.
TIPAL chief investigator Andrew Wilson said: “It is great to have the chance to incorporate the cutting-edge CT scanning technology developed by Brainomix into the TIPAL study.
“Not only will this venture tell whether lansoprazole improves the scarring detected on CT scans, but it will allow us to compare CT scan abnormalities to home-based lung function tests.”
The UK-based medical software company said that the sub-study will be conducted using its e-Lung platform, in parallel to the TIPAL trial main study.
The e-Lung is an AI-powered image processing module that standardises the assessment of lung fibrosis on high-resolution (HR) CT scans, to accurately identify patients with progressive fibrosis.
A novel imaging biomarker, the Weighted reticulovascular (WRV) score, serves as the core of the e-Lung platform.
WRV quantifies the extent of the lung affected by reticulovascular abnormalities and provides superior prognostic value compared with traditional measures.
The sub-study primarily aims to determine the difference in change in WRV score between treatment with lansoprazole and placebo, said the British medical software company.
Brainomix senior medical director and ILD at Royal Brompton Hospital in London clinical lead Peter George said: “We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with the TIPAL study group and to incorporate our pioneering AI technology into a prospective trial to help assess the efficacy of lansoprazole in IPF patients.
“We are highly motivated by the potential to harness our technology in a way that helps to speed up clinical trials, identify more effective drugs, and improve the lives of IPF patients.”
