[Edaily Reporter NA EUN-KYUNG ] Huons Co., Ltd.(243070)has confirmed the ability to inhibit intestinal fibrosis in preclinical trials of “HUC1A-626,” a drug candidate for fibrosing Crohn’s disease currently under development. Unlike existing Crohn’s disease treatments, which primarily control inflammation, this approach targets the fibrosis process itself—where intestinal tissue hardens and narrows.

Huons Co., Ltd. announced on the 20th that it presented the results of the preclinical study on HUC1A-626 in a poster presentation at “UEG Week 2026,” the annual conference of the European Society of Gastroenterology, held in Barcelona, Spain, from the 17th to the 20th (local time).

Fibrosing Crohn’s disease is a condition in which repeated episodes of chronic inflammation in the intestine cause the intestinal wall to thicken and the intestinal lumen to narrow. During the inflammatory process, fibroblasts are activated, leading to excessive accumulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which causes the intestinal tissue to harden and results in strictures. It is known that intestinal fibrosis occurs in about half of Crohn’s disease patients.

Currently used biologics are effective at suppressing inflammation but have limitations in reversing advanced intestinal fibrosis. As strictures worsen, endoscopic dilation or surgery may be required, creating a need for treatments that specifically target fibrosis independently of inflammation.

HUC1A-626 is an oral drug candidate that selectively inhibits transglutaminase 2 (TG2), an enzyme involved in tissue fibrosis. TG2 promotes cross-linking between ECM proteins, causing tissues to stiffen and making them difficult to break down. Huons Co., Ltd. has a strategy to block this enzyme to break the vicious cycle of intestinal fibrosis progression.

In this preclinical study, HUC1A-626 demonstrated high inhibitory potency and selectivity against TG2. In experiments using human colon-derived fibroblasts, an anti-fibrotic effect resulting from TG2 inhibition was observed. In animal models as well, fibrotic lesions and insoluble collagen content decreased, and the anti-fibrotic effect was confirmed through histological and quantitative analyses.

Huons Co., Ltd. highlights that HUC1A-626 is designed to act locally within the gastrointestinal tract. However, since these results are based on preclinical data obtained from cell and animal models, future clinical trials will be required to confirm whether the drug can prevent or improve intestinal strictures in actual Crohn’s disease patients.

Based on these research findings, the company plans to pursue the development of a “first-in-class” treatment for fibrosing Crohn’s disease that differentiates itself from existing anti-inflammatory therapies.

Park Kyung-mi, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Huons Co., Ltd., stated, “Through this study, we confirmed that the TG2 inhibitor can simultaneously control ECM cross-linking and fibroblast activation, which are key factors in intestinal fibrosis.” She added, “We will develop this into a first-in-class innovative new drug that breaks the cycle of fibrosis—which persists even after inflammation subsides—to provide a fundamental solution for patients with fibrosing Crohn’s disease.”