TIDMPRTC
PureTech Health PLC
10 July 2018
10 July 2018
PureTech Health plc
PureTech's Vedanta Biosciences Receives Award from the Crohn's
& Colitis Foundation to Advance Microbiome-Derived Therapeutic
Programme in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Research for this new IBD programme to be advanced in
collaboration with Keio University School of Medicine
PureTech Health plc (LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech Health"), a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines
focused on the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis, today announced that
its affiliate, Vedanta Biosciences, has received funding from the
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation to advance a microbiome-derived
therapeutic programme for the treatment and potential interception
of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This new IBD programme, wholly
owned by Vedanta Biosciences, aims to target bacterial strains
particularly abundant in Crohn's disease that may lead to the onset
of IBD. Vedanta Biosciences will advance this programme in
collaboration with Dr Kenya Honda, MD, PhD, Professor, Keio
University School of Medicine and a scientific co-founder of
Vedanta Biosciences.
In addition to this new programme, Vedanta Biosciences
previously announced a partnership with Janssen Biotech, Inc. for
the development of drug candidate VE202 in IBD. VE202 is expected
to enter the clinic in the second half of 2018.
David Steinberg, Chief Innovation Officer at PureTech Health,
said: "We are delighted the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has
recognised Vedanta Biosciences' contributions, innovation, and
leadership in inflammatory bowel disease with this award. This new
programme is based on an entirely new approach for the interception
and treatment of IBD, and we look forward to working with Dr Honda
to translate the interactions between the immune system and
microbiome into powerful medicines."
The full text announcement from Vedanta Biosciences is as
follows:
Vedanta Biosciences Receives Award from the Crohn's &
Colitis Foundation to Advance a Microbiome-Derived Therapeutic
Programme for Interception and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel
Disease
Company also announces research collaboration with Keio
University School of Medicine for this new IBD programme
Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 10, 2018-Vedanta Biosciences, an
affiliate of PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC) developing a new category
of therapies for immune-mediated and infectious diseases based on
rationally defined consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria,
today announced that it has received funding from the Crohn's &
Colitis Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding
the cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The funds
will be used to advance Vedanta Biosciences' new microbiome-derived
therapeutic programme for the treatment and potential interception
of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This programme is being
advanced in collaboration with Dr Kenya Honda, MD, PhD, Professor,
Keio University School of Medicine and a scientific co-founder of
Vedanta Biosciences.
"As the first commercial organisation to be awarded funding
under the auspices of the Foundation's newly-launched
Entrepreneurial Investing Initiative, we are excited about the
potential of Vedanta's research to bring microbiome-derived
therapies to our patients," said Michael Osso, President & CEO
of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "Foundation-led research
has helped to determine that the gut microbiome is a key link
between genetic susceptibility and the onset and progression of
IBD. Vedanta's pioneering work has promise to advance discoveries
in this area toward new therapeutic options for patients with
IBD."
This new IBD program, wholly owned by Vedanta Biosciences, aims
to target pathogenic bacterial strains, particularly abundant in
Crohn's disease, that may lead to the onset of IBD. IBD is believed
to result from interactions between genetic factors and
environmental triggers, such as commensal bacteria with pathogenic
potential (pathobionts). In foundational work recently published in
Science, Dr Honda's group showed in preclinical studies that
colonisation with the pathobiont Klebsiella pneumoniae activates
pro-inflammatory T helper 1 cells in the gut, resulting in
intestinal inflammation and leading to onset of IBD. In ongoing
preclinical work, Vedanta Biosciences has identified consortia of
beneficial gut bacteria that can potentially target and decolonise
Klebsiella.
"Dr Honda's research suggests an entirely new approach to help
IBD patients by specific elimination of pro-inflammatory bacteria.
We believe this approach could potentially be harnessed to both
treat IBD as well as intercept the progression of the disease in
its early stages or before diagnosis," said Bernat Olle, PhD,
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vedanta Biosciences. "We
are grateful to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation for their
support and for the opportunity to work closely with patient groups
to find a cure for IBD."
In addition to this program, Vedanta Biosciences previously
announced a partnership with Janssen Biotech, Inc. for the
development of drug candidate VE202 in IBD. VE202 is based on a
rationally defined consortium of bacteria with immunoregulatory
properties. VE202 is expected to enter the clinic in the second
half of 2018.
About Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is estimated to affect 1.6
million people in the United States, with as many as 70,000 new
cases of the disease diagnosed each year. The exact cause of IBD is
not entirely understood, but it is associated with chronic
inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, impairing the
ability of affected GI organs to function properly. Symptoms can
vary but include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, cramping, rectal
bleeding, and fatigue. Currently available medications alleviate
inflammation and reduce symptoms, but do not provide a cure or
prevent long-term complications.
About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is the largest non-profit,
voluntary, health organisation dedicated to finding cures for
inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The Foundation's mission is to
cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the
quality of life of children and adults who are affected by these
diseases. The Foundation works to fulfil its mission by funding
research; providing educational resources for patients and their
families, medical professionals, and the public; and furnishing
supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more
information visit http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/ call
888-694-8872, or email info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org.
About Vedanta Biosciences
Vedanta Biosciences is a clinical-stage company developing a new
category of therapies for immune-mediated and infectious diseases
based on rationally defined consortia of human microbiome-derived
bacteria. An affiliate of PureTech Health (PureTech Health plc,
PRTC.L), Vedanta Biosciences is a leader in the microbiome field
with capabilities and deep expertise to discover, develop, and
manufacture live bacteria drugs. These include what is believed to
be the largest collection of human microbiome-associated bacterial
strains, a suite of proprietary assays to select pharmacologically
potent strains, vast proprietary datasets from human interventional
studies, and facilities for cGMP-compliant manufacturing of
rationally-defined bacterial consortia in powder form. Vedanta
Biosciences' pioneering work, in collaboration with its scientific
co-founders, has led to the identification of human commensal
bacteria that induce a range of immune responses - including
induction of regulatory T cells, CD8+ T cells, and Th17 cells,
among others. These advances have been published in leading
peer-reviewed journals including Science (multiple), Nature
(multiple), Cell and Nature Immunology. Vedanta Biosciences has
harnessed these biological insights and its capabilities to
generate a pipeline of programmes in infectious disease, autoimmune
disease, allergy, and immune-oncology.
Vedanta Biosciences' scientific co-founders are world-renowned
experts in immunology and microbiology who have pioneered the
fields of innate immunity, Th17 and regulatory T cell biology, and
include Dr Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale and Howard Hughes Medical
Institute (HHMI)), Dr Brett Finlay (University of British Columbia
and HHMI), Dr Kenya Honda (inventor of Vedanta Biosciences' lead
product candidate; Keio University and RIKEN), Dr Dan Littman (New
York University and HHMI), Dr Alexander Rudensky (Sloan Kettering
and HHMI), and Dr Jeremiah Faith (Mount Sinai School of
Medicine).
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health (PRTC.L) is an advanced, clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines targeting
serious diseases that result from dysfunctions in the nervous,
immune, and gastrointestinal systems (brain-immune-gut or the "BIG"
axis), which together represent the adaptive human systems.
PureTech Health is at the forefront of understanding and addressing
the biological processes and crosstalk associated with the BIG
axis. By harnessing this emerging field of human biology, PureTech
Health is pioneering new categories of medicine with the potential
to have great impact on people with serious diseases. PureTech
Health is advancing a rich pipeline of innovative therapies that
includes two pivotal stage programmes, multiple human
proof-of-concept studies and a number of early clinical and
pre-clinical programmes. PureTech's research and development
pipeline has been advanced in collaboration with some of the
world's leading scientific experts, who along with PureTech's team
of biopharma pioneers, entrepreneurs and seasoned Board, identify,
invent, and clinically de-risk new medicines. With this experienced
team pursuing cutting edge science, PureTech Health is building the
biopharma company of the future focused on improving and extending
the lives of people with serious disease. For more information,
visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect with us on Twitter
@puretechh.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains statements that are or may be
forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to the
company's future prospects, developments and strategies. The
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and
are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ
materially from current expectations, including, but not limited
to, those risks and uncertainties described in the risk factors
included in the regulatory filings for PureTech Health plc. These
forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the
present and future business strategies of the company and the
environment in which it will operate in the future. Each
forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press
release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements,
neither the company nor any other party intends to update or revise
these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Investors EU media US media
Allison Mead Talbot Ben Atwell, Rob Winder Tom Donovan
+1 617 651 3156 +44 (0) 20 3727 1000 +1 857 559 3397
amt@puretechhealth.com ben.atwell@FTIconsulting.com tom@tenbridgecommunications.com
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END
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