AI Imaging and Inhaled Therapies Push Lung Disease Research Forward

Two biotechnology programs are putting new tools and treatments under the microscope for serious pulmonary diseases. Brainomix and Endeavor BioMedicines used AI-powered CT analysis to uncover treatment effects in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, while Pulmovant prepares to present Phase 2 results for an inhaled therapy targeting pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease.

The developments point toward a more detailed approach to lung disease research, combining objective imaging measurements with therapies designed to act directly in the lungs. Could better scans reveal changes that standard tests miss? The latest findings suggest that quantitative imaging may give researchers a stronger view of how patients respond to treatment.

AI Finds Treatment Signals in Fibrotic Lung Scans

On September 8, 2026, Brainomix and Endeavor BioMedicines announced positive results from an AI-driven analysis of CT imaging data collected during a Phase 2a trial of taladegib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. The trial, known as ENV-IPF-101, was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week study evaluating taladegib in patients with IPF.

The trial had already shown that taladegib improved lung function from baseline, measured through forced vital capacity. Treatment also increased total lung capacity and reversed measures of interstitial lung disease from baseline at week 12, giving researchers several signs of activity during the short study.

Brainomix’s E-Lung Post-Hoc Analysis added another layer to those results. The FDA-cleared, CE-marked AI-powered image analysis tool automatically quantifies and visualizes radiographic features in lung CT scans, allowing researchers to measure changes in lung structure and fibrosis across multiple categories.

In the ENV-IPF-101 analysis, e-Lung detected positive differences in favor of taladegib in three areas: lung volume, overall interstitial lung disease burden, and total fibrosis extent. The analysis also detected significant treatment effects across multiple measures of lung structure and fibrosis.

That matters because forced vital capacity remains an established clinical endpoint, but it may not fully capture meaningful biological changes or explain the mechanism behind a treatment response. CT quantification can examine the structure of the lungs directly, giving development teams another way to track changes during clinical studies.

“We are impressed with the technology’s ability to detect statistically significant changes in a small cohort and over a short treatment duration,” said Dr Lisa Lancaster, Chief Medical Officer at Endeavor BioMedicines.

Short Trials Could Gain a Sharper Lens

The findings highlight the potential of AI-powered quantitative imaging outputs to support the detection of treatment effects in small, short clinical studies. Reliable, objective AI-derived endpoints could support pulmonary fibrosis development programs by adding measurable detail to the clinical data collected from each participant.

The companies said increasingly sensitive CT quantification may help detect subtle treatment effects and support more data-informed drug development. That approach could be especially useful when researchers need to understand whether a therapy is changing lung structure, reducing fibrosis, or improving function during a limited treatment period.

The results have catalyzed further collaboration between Brainomix and Endeavor to incorporate quantitative image analysis into the continued clinical development of taladegib. Dr Lisa Lancaster said the analysis continues to support taladegib’s potential to improve lung structure, reduce fibrosis, and improve lung function in patients with IPF.

AI does not replace established measures in this research program. Instead, the imaging analysis adds another window into the lungs, connecting changes in scan-based structure with measures of breathing and lung capacity.

Pulmovant Readies Phase 2 PH-ILD Results

Pulmovant announced on September 6, 2026, that results from its Phase 2 PHocus study of mosliciguat will be presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress. The presentation is scheduled for 12:15 CEST, or 6:15 a.m. ET, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Pulmovant is a clinical-stage biotechnology company and a Roivant company. Its first investigational candidate, mosliciguat, is a potential first-in-class, once-daily, inhaled sGC activator designed to deliver targeted pulmonary vasodilation with limited systemic side effects for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease, known as PH-ILD.

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs. Group 3 PH is a subtype that arises from lung diseases such as interstitial lung disease, and up to 200,000 patients across the U.S. and Europe are living with PH-ILD.

The Phase 2 PHocus clinical study, identified as NCT06635850, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global trial that enrolled 135 adult participants with PH-ILD. Mosliciguat is also being evaluated in the Phase 2 PHactor clinical study, identified as NCT07333183, an open-label trial examining the tolerability and safety of inhaled mosliciguat combined with inhaled treprostinil in participants with PH-ILD.

Mosliciguat targets sGC, a key enzyme in the nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling pathway. Elevated cGMP levels promote vasodilation, contribute to anti-fibrotic effects, reduce inflammation and apoptosis, and reverse vascular remodeling.

The treatment is believed to work independently of heme and nitric oxide, unlike sGC stimulators. In the Phase 1b ATMOS study, a single dose of inhaled mosliciguat in patients with pulmonary hypertension was well tolerated and led to a mean peak reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance of up to 38%.

The PHocus presentation will add a new clinical readout to that earlier evidence as Pulmovant develops a once-daily inhaled option for patients with PH-ILD. Roivant’s pipeline includes LISRAYA™ (brepocitinib), IMVT-1402, and mosliciguat, supporting its aim to improve patients’ lives by accelerating the development and commercialization of medicines.

Together, these programs show how pulmonary research is advancing on two fronts: AI is making lung changes easier to measure, while inhaled therapies are pursuing targeted effects in damaged or pressured lung systems. The next phase of development will reveal how far these tools can carry treatment programs and clinical decision-making.

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