A new antibody aims at the root of pulmonary hypertension — the vessel damage itself, not just the pressure

Pulmonary hypertension slowly rebuilds the lungs' arteries until the heart strains to push blood through them; today's drugs mostly relax vessels rather than undo that rebuilding. A study in Science Translational Medicine describes APL-9796, an antibody from Apollo Therapeutics and Imperial College London that blocks ZIP12, a zinc transporter driving the abnormal cell growth behind the damage. In human artery cells from patients and in three preclinical models, it normalised zinc and reduced the harmful growth; a Phase 1 study in healthy adults found monthly dosing feasible and well tolerated. It is now being tested in patients in the Phase 2 ViTAL-PH trial — early days, but aimed at the disease's source.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation