Quantitative regression of qFibrosis with resmetirom: Exploratory histologic endpoints from the MAESTRO-NASH phase III clinical trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Resmetirom, a thyroid hormone beta (THR-β) agonist, has been shown to improve metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and fibrosis in patients with non-cirrhotic MASH in a phase III serial liver biopsy study. In the phase III MAESTRO-NASH trial, the impact of resmetirom compared with placebo on histologic fibrosis features was evaluated using artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital pathology (qFibrosis). METHODS: qFibrosis was a secondary analysis of liver biopsies from 966 patients with biopsy-confirmed MASH and fibrosis stages F1B, F2, or F3 enrolled in the multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III MAESTRO-NASH trial. Biopsies from baseline and week 52 were assessed using second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy. Pre-specified assessments by treatment group included qFibrosis continuous values (qFC), categorical stages (qFS), and qSteatosis. Post hoc analyses evaluated regional qFibrosis features and 30 clinical outcome-associated qFibrosis features, including correlations of these features with pathologist-assessed fibrosis improvement and non-invasive tests. RESULTS: Resmetirom 80 mg and 100 mg resulted in qFS improvement (≥1-stage decrease) in 24.4% and 22.3% more patients than placebo, respectively, and reduced qFS worsening (≥1-stage increase) relative to placebo (nominal p ≤0.001 for both doses). Mean placebo-corrected reductions in qFC were -0.95 (95% CI -1.22 to -0.69) and -1.08 (95% CI -1.34 to -0.81) for the 80 mg and 100 mg doses, respectively. Six of the 30 clinical outcome-associated qFibrosis features, primarily from the portal tract and Zone 2 regions, showed the strongest positive correlations with pathologist-assessed fibrosis stage and biomarkers, including liver stiffness measures. Individual fibrosis features in the portal region and chicken wire fibrosis showed the greatest reductions with resmetirom treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Resmetirom treatment led to significant improvements in qFC, qFS, and individual collagen features associated with fibrosis progression. These digital pathology findings support the antifibrotic efficacy of resmetirom and demonstrate the potential of AI-based quantification to help define the fibrogenic response in MASH. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: This study provides the first evidence from a pivotal phase III trial that AI-based digital pathology, including qFibrosis and region-specific collagen features, can sensitively detect the antifibrotic effects of resmetirom in MASH beyond conventional ordinal staging. These continuous metrics offer deeper insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying fibrosis progression and reversal in MASLD, including early matrix remodeling, while enabling more granular, reproducible, and biologically plausible analyses. The ability to quantify spatially distinct patterns of collagen remodeling - particularly in the portal tract and Zone 2 regions - may refine understanding of treatment-related antifibrotic effects in MASH and help clarify how such changes may reduce progression to cirrhosis and improve clinical outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT03900429.