Pharmaceutical developer Ligand Pharmaceuticals announced that it intends to develop a line of injectable medical imaging contrast agents with lower renal toxicity than existing agents on the market.
The company said it plans to base the agents on its patented Captisol technology, as well as on intellectual property it has accessed through its acquisition of Verrow Pharmaceuticals this month. Captisol is based on a specialized form of cyclodextrin that plays a role in protecting kidneys from the damaging effects of contrast.
A research study cited by the company found that a Captisol-enabled version of the x-ray contrast agent iohexol (Omnipaque, GE Healthcare) prevented nephrotoxicity by more than 50% in animal models. The company believes that developing a version of iohexol based on Captisol would enable it to address a significant market opportunity.
Ligand said it intends to move a product toward a proof-of-concept phase and then license or sell its technology for further research and commercialization.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
