[Edaily Reporter KIM SAE-MI ] Inventera Inc. has confirmed the potential to visualize the pathways through which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drains into the lymphatic system outside the brain using “INV-001,” a lymphatic-targeted nano-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent.
#Inventera Inc. announced on the 31st that it presented the results of a preclinical study on INV-001, conducted in collaboration with a research team led by Professor Lee Hong-seon of the Department of Radiology at Gangnam Severance Hospital, at the International Congress on Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ICMRI 2026).
The research team administered both a conventional gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent and INV-001 intrathecally to healthy beagles and then used MRI to compare the migration and distribution patterns in the brain and surrounding tissues over time.
The results showed that the conventional gadolinium contrast agent primarily produced signals in the cerebrospinal fluid spaces and brain tissue. In contrast, INV-001 was observed to migrate along a pathway where cerebrospinal fluid flows through the ethmoid plate and nasal cavity to the cervical lymph nodes.
Based on these results, Inventera Inc. plans to conduct further research to determine whether INV-001 can be used to observe and evaluate, via MRI, the pathway through which cerebrospinal fluid is drained into the extracerebral lymphatic system.
The drainage process via cerebrospinal fluid and the lymphatic system is being studied as one of the pathways for removing waste products generated in the brain. In particular, active research is underway to elucidate the association between neurodegenerative diseases—such as Alzheimer’s disease, in which amyloid-beta and tau proteins accumulate—and the brain’s waste removal function. Through further research, the company intends to verify whether INV-001 can be utilized to study the connection between cerebrospinal fluid and the lymphatic system, as well as the function of waste removal.
Professor Lee Hong-seon stated, “In this study, INV-001 exhibited a distribution pattern distinctly different from that of conventional gadolinium contrast agents, and in particular, it clearly illustrated the pathway through which cerebrospinal fluid is presumed to be drained into the extracranial lymphatic system via the table of the sphenoid bone and the nasal cavity.” “Although this is still in the early preclinical research stage, if research findings continue to accumulate, it has the potential to become a new method for evaluating the connection between cerebrospinal fluid and the lymphatic system using in vivo MRI,” he said.
INV-001 is an MRI lymphatic contrast agent currently under development based on Inventera Inc.’s “Invinity” nanopharmaceutical platform. It is being developed with the goal of visualizing lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes that were previously difficult to detect directly using conventional MRI.
Currently, a Phase 2a clinical trial is underway in South Korea to confirm its safety in patients with lymphedema. In the United States, Inventera Inc. has received approval for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase 2 clinical trial. Inventera Inc. aims to complete the Phase 2a clinical trial in South Korea by the end of this year.
An Inventera Inc. official stated, “INV-001 is a contrast agent developed to directly visualize lymphatic vessels via MRI,” adding, “We plan to validate these results through further research and explore its potential applications in studies of various diseases related to the brain’s waste removal function, including Alzheimer’s disease.”
Meanwhile, this study was presented as a poster at ICMRI 2026, held at the Grand Walkerhill in Seoul on the 27th and 28th. ICMRI is an international academic conference in the field of MRI hosted by the Korean Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (KSMRM), attended by radiologists, MRI researchers, and industry experts.
