Verici Dx Plc (LON:VRCI), a developer of advanced clinical diagnostics for organ transplant, has announced an order with Asahi Kasei Therapeutics, Inc for a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating pegrizeprument (VEL-101), an investigational maintenance immunosuppressive therapy being developed for the prevention of acute rejection in solid organ transplant recipients.
As part of its order of tests and further services, Verici Dx will perform blood-based biomarker testing, including the Pre-Transplant Risk Assessment (PTRA) assay, as exploratory research tools as part of the clinical trial. The molecular data generated will help evaluate biomarker signatures associated with immune pathways activity, metabolic dysregulation, and homeostasis associated with transplant outcomes in patients receiving pegrizeprument.
PTRA is a blood-based next generation sequencing (NGS) gene expression with algorithm assay. The PTRA assay measures the pre-transplant expression of immune-response genes associated with early acute rejection.
Simon Tremblay, Senior Director, Clinical Development, Asahi Kasei Therapeutics, said:
“As we advance the clinical development of pegrizeprument, we are committed to building a deeper understanding of how patients respond to novel immunosuppressive therapies. Working with Verici Dx allows us to incorporate advanced molecular biomarker analyses into our clinical programme, generating additional scientific insights that may help inform the future of precision medicine in kidney transplantation.”
Sara Barrington, CEO of Verici Dx, said:
“Clinical trials represent an important opportunity to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying transplant success and rejection. By incorporating advanced molecular diagnostics into therapeutic development and clinical research, we can generate valuable insights that may ultimately help personalize post-transplant care. We are excited to support Asahi Kasei Therapeutics on this important study and look forward to contributing our expertise in transplant biomarkers.”
Verici Dx welcomes the launch of the Kidney Care National Plan by the US Department of Health and Human Services, a coordinated strategy focused on revitalizing American kidney care.
The 2026 Kidney Care National Plan centres on three priorities:
- Prevent Kidney Failure: Detect kidney disease earlier, intervene sooner, and advance treatments and technologies that can slow or stop disease progression.
- Improve Dialysis Care and Expand Patient Choice: Promote competition, reduce barriers to entry for new providers and treatments, expand access to home-based care, and support innovations that improve outcomes and quality of life.
- Reform Transplantation: Strengthen safety, transparency, and accountability across the transplant system while expanding access to living and deceased-donor transplantation.
Commenting, Sara Barrington, CEO of Verici Dx, said:
“Expanding access to transplantation is essential, but so is making the most of every transplant. For transplant teams, that means having better information to assess rejection risk and inform decisions about patient management.”
“As we work toward a future where more patients can benefit from kidney transplantation, we also need to focus on the tools that can help clinicians make informed decisions throughout the transplant journey. At Verici Dx, we’re addressing this need. Our Tutivia® test classifies kidney transplant recipients as having a low or high risk of acute rejection, giving clinicians additional data-driven information as they manage patients after transplant.”
