Gut & MicrobiomeExperimental Drug DT-109 Reverses Fatty Liver Disease by Healing the Gut
Researchers at Michigan Medicine have developed an experimental drug called DT-109 that reversed severe fatty liver disease in animal models by repairing the gut rather than targeting the liver directly. MASH, a serious liver condition affecting roughly 7% of people worldwide, can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer with few effective treatments available. DT-109 works by reducing overgrowth of the gut bacterium Clostridium perfringens, which produces ammonia that weakens the intestinal lining. Once that barrier is restored, fewer harmful microbial toxins reach the liver, reducing dangerous inflammation. Results in nonhuman primates were especially encouraging, as their gut and liver biology closely mirrors that of humans.
