Volume 14 Issue 4, December 2020

After a decade of uncertainty, a trio of clinical trial successes in 2020 is spurring enthusiasm about the potential for effectively treating disease via manipulation of the gut microbiome.

AMYRA Biotech is ready to partner and scale-up its novel enzymatic treatments for non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease.

Biosortia is building the world’s largest library of microbiome-derived compounds for therapeutic and other applications, by leveraging the company’s microbial harvesting platform to sample and mine aquatic microbiomes at unprecedented scales with sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches. Biosortia is seeking partners interested in accessing compounds and chemistries to develop biologically relevant small molecule leads.

With the world’s leading culture collection and reference genome database, and advanced bioinformatics and machine learning systems, UK-based Microbiotica can identify and isolate the full complement of gut bacteria linked to patient phenotype, attracting global interest and partnering deals from big pharma.

Axial Therapeutics focuses on the gut–brain axis to develop therapeutics to mitigate central nervous system disorders and conditions. The company has built a pipeline of novel small molecules with lead programs in autism spectrum disorder and Parkinson’s disease.

Millions of people affected by skin disorders with an emotional impact are eager for innovative therapies. Cassiopea is responding.

Symberix is integrating gut microbiome-targeted ‘symbiotic drugs’ and precision medicine strategies into small-molecule drug discovery, and is seeking corporate partners who are ready to transform pharmaceutical R&D and life cycle management.

Maximizing the potential of the resident gut microbiome, Kaleido Biosciences is developing novel glycans with the ability to change the metabolic output of the microbiome and have a clinically significant impact across a broad range of diseases.

Viome has developed the world’s largest metatranscriptomic platform for analyzing human and microbial functions at the molecular level to discover novel mechanisms underlying chronic diseases, cancer, and aging. The company is seeking partners to develop diagnostics, companion diagnostics, and therapeutics based on targets identified using the Viome platform.

RevoluGen has designed Fire Monkey, a fast, easy-to-use spin column that extracts optimal DNA for long-read sequencing and is already being used in a number of applications.

Novome’s novel platform develops genetically engineered microbial medicines (GEMMs) for chronic disease, offering the potential to act as a delivery system for novel therapeutic functionality, including proteins and peptides, into the gut microenvironment.

Genome & Company is developing a microbiome-based add-on therapy for programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 inhibitors. It is also developing novel targeted immune checkpoint inhibitors and believes these two approaches could be combined for personalized therapy.

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a blow to the deals landscape in early 2020, but the sector bounced back.

The CanVirex platform deploys the oncolytic properties of recombinant measles vectors for innovative cancer treatments. In addition it has now provided a novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is approaching clinical trials.

Atlantic Healthcare plc is raising funds to advance clinical trials for new chemical entities: alicaforsen for inflammatory bowel disease, and renzapride for gut motility disorders in rare diseases.

Knopp Biosciences’ investigational, first-in-class drug, dexpramipexole, holds promise for patients with asthma and eosinophil-associated diseases.

With cutting-edge protein-engineering tools, Codexis designs transformative therapeutics tailored to patient needs.

Equillium’s itolizumab downregulates T effector cell activity and trafficking to tissues. It is currently being tested against acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD), lupus nephritis, and uncontrolled asthma.

Kancera, the Swedish company developing drugs to block hyperinflammation and protect function of vital organs, has commenced a phase 2 clinical trial of KAND567, a drug candidate which antagonizes the fractalkine receptor believed to trigger life-threatening inflammatory processes in COVID-19 and heart attack patients.

Hofseth BioCare is transforming marine raw materials into products to improve worldwide health conditions including treatments for gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory disorders and cardiovascular health.

NovaGo Therapeutics is developing a first-in-class fully human antibody therapy to treat diabetic retinopathy. With its novel disease-modifying mode of action, it could save the sight of the many patients who respond poorly to current treatments.

Avalon GloboCare, a leading biotechnology company focusing on cell-based technology and therapeutics, is about to launch clinical trials of its novel blood filtration system to mitigate symptoms of a cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients and a mucosal intranasal spray vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Privately held Creatv MicroTech has developed LifeTracDx tests to detect cancer at the earliest stages, and for providing diagnoses to guide cancer treatments, thereby saving and improving lives.

3T Biosciences has developed an immune response-guided approach for identifying pharmacologically active T cell receptors and their targets in solid tumors. With a pipeline of therapeutics targeting novel tumor antigens, 3T is seeking partners to advance these programs.

Precision NanoSystems empowers researchers to develop genetic medicines through its NanoAssmblr technology, helping companies solve drug delivery challenges in both cancer and infectious diseases.

IGY Life Sciences has optimized the sustainable generation of highly specific and efficacious egg-derived IgY antibodies for human and animal health. The company’s pipeline includes marketed immune and sports health products, and lead compounds against COVID-19 and African swine fever.

Cyclica’s drug discovery platform accelerates preclinical drug development by creating polypharmacological profiles of drug candidates.

By reprogramming the tumor microenvironment Kineta is developing an anti-VISTA immuno-oncology therapy for the treatment of a variety of cancers, including gastric, ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancers.

RubrYc Therapeutics has established an antibody discovery engine for the development of epitope-targeted biotherapeutics. Through machine learning, the platform helps reveal natural subdominant and alternative epitopes to target for optimized bio-superior design and as access points to traditionally ‘undruggable’ proteins.

Engine Biosciences has developed a multi-layered platform, NetMAPPR, which integrates machine learning and combinatorial CRISPR to decode biological networks, pinpoint crucial units, and design specific therapeutics.

The maturation of oligonucleotide and gene therapies, and the birth of the gene editing revolution, are spurring innovation in the cardiovascular and metabolic disease space.

Swiss-based DiNAQOR has developed a revolutionary gene therapy platform which combines gene-vector-promoter constructs with loco-regional delivery to the heart for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. With its first AAV gene therapy program, DiNA-001, in development for the treatment of MYBPC3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the company and its platform is attracting significant partnering interest.

Montreal-based Inversago Pharma is developing a portfolio of peripherally-acting cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) inverse agonists, including its lead candidate INV-101, in development for the treatment of the rare genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), NASH and other conditions.

Anthos is developing a pioneering phase 2 monoclonal antibody, abelacimab, as an effective anticoagulant that aims to provide treatment by inhibiting Factor XI to avoid severe bleeding.

Using systems biology and machine learning to design multi-targeted EMM compositions for complex multifactorial diseases.

By combining machine learning with multiple proteins and proprietary algorithms, Prevencio has developed a portfolio of HART tests that accurately diagnose cardiovascular diseases. Prevencio also offers custom diagnostic services.

Working in partnership with biopharmaceutical companies, InSphero is developing 3D human-cell-based platforms that better predict patient response to new drugs.

Actimed Therapeutics is developing anabolic/catabolic transforming agents: a new class of agents to treat cachexia, an often fatal condition associated with many chronic diseases including cancer.