Cendakimab (anti-IL-13) administration improves esophageal gene expression in eosinophilic esophagitis

IL-13 has been implicated as a key contributor to the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) partly on the basis of the finding that cendakimab (a humanized monoclonal anti-IL-13 antibody) significantly improved esophageal eosinophils, endoscopic severity, histology grade and stage, and clinician's assessment of severity in the HEROES phase 2 trial.

We aimed to determine how cendakimab administration affected esophageal gene expression in the HEROES phase 2 trial (NCT02098473).

EoE-related transcripts were quantified in biopsy samples collected at baseline (week 0) and after 16 weekly injections (week 16) of cendakimab (180 or 360 mg) or placebo. Genes exhibiting differential expression after cendakimab treatment were identified. Esophageal gene expression was compared before and after treatment in those with and without histologic and endoscopic response. Additionally, we assessed whether esophageal gene expression correlated with histologic and endoscopic parameters.

Compared to placebo, cendakimab (at both doses) reversed the gene expression profiles of cardinal genes and molecular pathways involved in EoE pathogenesis. These changes included genes involved in IL-13 signaling (eg, CCL26), mastocytosis (eg, CPA3, TPSB2/TPSAB1), epithelial differentiation (eg, DSG1), and remodeling (eg, POSTN). Transcript changes correlated with histologic and endoscopic observations. Patients without histologic disease remission still demonstrated improved posttreatment transcript expression, although patients with histologic remission exhibited greater improvement in posttreatment expression in a subset of genes than did patients without histologic remission. Those with and without endoscopic response both exhibited improvement in posttreatment expression.

Cendakimab treatment normalizes the aberrant esophageal gene expression seen in patients with EoE, and the changes in transcripts correlate with histologic and endoscopic improvements. The finding that cendakimab corrects esophageal transcript expression even in those without endoscopic response suggests that the IL-13 pathway is driving EoE pathogenesis in most patients. These collective findings, derived from a multisite double-blind placebo-controlled trial, add molecular evidence that IL-13 drives EoE pathogenesis.