Galectin Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in drug research and development to create therapies for fibrotic disease, cancer and selected other diseases. Co.'s main galectin-3 inhibitor is belapectin (GR-MD-02), which has been demonstrated in preclinical models to reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and in clinical studies to decrease portal hypertension and prevent its complication: the development of esophageal varices. GR-MD-02 has the potential to treat various diseases due to galectin-3's involvement in multiple main biological pathways such as fibrosis, immune cell function and immunity, cell differentiation, cell growth, and apoptosis (cell death).