Safety and Tolerability of Yaq-001 in Patients With Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age = 18 <70 years at screening

2. HbA1C < 10.5%

3. BMI >25kg/m2

4. ALT <250IU/L

5. Ability to provide informed consent

6. Agree to the use of effective contraceptive measures if either male or female of child
bearing potential.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of metabolic acidosis or ketoacidosis

2. Presence of vascular liver disease

3. Cirrhosis diagnosed either histologically, by laboratory or clinically;

4. Presence of liver disease of other aetiology (autoimmune, metabolic, medication
induced);

5. HIV antibody positive, hepatitis B surface antigen positive (HBsAg) or Hepatitis C
virus (HCV)-RNA positive;

6. Current or history of significant alcohol consumption for a period of more than 3
consecutive months within 1 year prior to screening (significant alcohol consumption
is defined as more than 20 grams per day in females and more than 30 grams per day in
males, on average)

7. Type 1 diabetes;

8. History of bariatric intervention (surgical or endoscopic) performed 6 months or more
prior to screening;

9. Weight loss or gain of 5kg or more in the past 3 months or >10% change in bodyweight
in the past 3 months;

10. Inadequate venous access;

11. Lactating/breastfeeding/pregnant at Screening or Baseline;

12. Receiving an elemental diet or parenteral nutrition;

13. Medical conditions, such as:

- Inflammatory bowel disease;

- Unstable angina, myocardial infarction, transient ischemic events, or stroke
within 24 weeks of Screening;

- Active infection

- Active autoimmune disease

- Malignant disease at any time

- Severe congestive heart failure (current medical therapy or current clinical
evidence of congestive heart failure NHYA class III/IV) Persistent, uncontrolled
hypertension despite optimal medical treatment (for example: Systolic blood
pressure (SBP) >160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >100 mmHg (average of
2 readings) measured in the sitting position at Visit 1, after at least 5 minutes
seated rest at screening).

- Any other medical condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, could
impact adversely on the subject participating or on the interpretation of the
study data

- Presence of clinically relevant cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal,
renal, hepatic, metabolic, haematological, neurological, psychiatric, systemic,
ocular, gynaecologic or any acute infectious disease or signs of acute illness
that, in the opinion of the investigator, might compromise the patient's safe
participation in the trial

14. Concurrent medications including:

- Anti-NASH therapy(s) taken for more than 10 continuous days in the last 3 months.
These include S-adenosyl methionine (SAM-e), betaine, milk thistle, probiotic
supplements (other than yoghurt), vitamin E and gemfibrozil.

- Wash out for any of the anti-NASH therapies is as follows: under 10 days no
washout required, more than 10 days and up to 3 months treatment requires 6 weeks
washout.

- Use of drugs historically associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD) (amiodarone, methotrexate, systemic glucocorticoids, tetracyclines,
tamoxifen, estrogens at doses greater than those used for hormone replacement,
anabolic steroids, valproic acid, and other known hepatotoxins) during the
previous year prior to randomization

- Thiazolidinediones (glitazones), or glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues in the last
90 days.

1. NOTE: Allowable anti-diabetic treatment includes metformin and/or
sulfonylureas and/or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (gliptins)
administered at constant dose for at least 2 months prior to study entry

2. NOTE: Subjects treated with Insulin are eligible if clinically stable on
insulin treatment (i.e. no recurrent acute hypo-/hyperglycaemic episodes
diagnosed clinically and by Glucose serum levels of <50 mg/dL and >200 mg/dL
respectively) for at least 2 months prior to study entry

- immune modulatory agents including: systemic steroids for more than 7 days; daily
treatment with multiple non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin
(>100mg/day), ibuprofen, naproxen, meloxicam, celecoxib) for more than 1 month

- Use of ursodeoxycholic acid (Ursodiol, Urso) or obeticholic acid (Ocaliva) within
90 days prior to enrolment

In the last 6 months:

- azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, cyclosporin, anti-TNFa therapies
(infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept) or anti-integrin therapies (namixilab)

- More than 10 consecutive days oral or parenteral antibiotics within 4 weeks prior
to study entry. NOTE: subjects administered with antibiotics for more the 5 days
prior to study entry would not be included in the stool and PBMC analysis

Within the preceding 4 weeks before treatment:

- immunosuppression, long acting benzodiazepine or barbiturates and antiviral
medication

15. The following laboratory abnormalities:

- Neutrophil count =1.0 x 109/L; Platelets <100 x 109/L

- Haemoglobin <10g/dL; Albumin <3.5g/dL

- International Normalized Ratio (INR) >1.5

- Total bilirubin >1.5 x upper limit of reference range (unless Gilbert's syndrome
or extrahepatic source as denoted by increased indirect bilirubin fraction)

- Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73m2 at Screening or
Baseline using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation.

- Creatine Phosphokinase >5x ULN

16. Past history of acute pancreatitis with current triglycerides 400 mg/dL at Visit 1.

17. Any planned major surgery to be performed during the study (e.g., coronary artery
bypass surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, etc.).

18. Clinical evidence of hepatic decompensation as defined by the presence of any of the
following abnormalities:

- Serum albumin less than 3.4 grams/deciliter (g/dL)

- International Normalized Ratio (INR) greater than 1.3

- Total bilirubin greater than 1.5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)