The trial is being funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and sponsored by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals (NNUH) NHS Foundation Trust. It is a placebo-controlled, year-long, multicenter study that is evaluating the impact of lansoprazole -- a commonly prescribed medication for indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux -- on patients with a confirmed diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

For Brainomix's part, the substudy featuring e-Lung will run alongside the main study. The platform is an AI-powered image processing module and tool that standardizes the quantification of lung fibrosis on high-resolution CT scans to identify progressive fibrosis patients.

Helping with this is a novel imaging biomarker, the weighted reticulovascular (WRV) score. This quantifies the extent of the lung affected by reticulovascular abnormalities. The company wants to find out the difference in WRV score change between baseline and 12 months postrandomization between treatment with lansoprazole and a placebo.