Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Invests in Three Companies Developing Investigational Therapies for IBD

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation recently announced that it has invested in three biotechnology companies to accelerate the development of novel up-and-coming treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The funding is provided through IBD Ventures, an initiative created by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation to help finance the development of experimental drugs and treatments that may address the unmet needs of patients with IBD.

The three recipients of the foundation’s funding include Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Seres Therapeutics; Allonix Therapeutics, a portfolio company of Cincinnati-based Orange Grove Bio; and Exeliom Biosciences, headquartered in Dijon, France.

Seres Therapeutics is creating an orally administered enterically protected product called SER-301, which is designed to be released in the colon. SER-301 is made of a bacterial consortium designed to alter the gut microbiome to reduce intestinal inflammation and improve the epithelial barrier integrity in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis.

The company intends to use the funding to identify biomarkers to help pinpoint patients for whom SER-301 would be most beneficial. Using these biomarkers, Seres will select participants for a phase 2 trial of SER-301 in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Allonix Therapeutics is developing a potential first-in-class agent targeting liver receptor homologue-1 (LRH-1), which is heavily involved in regulating intestinal immune health by mediating the production of endogenous (produced by the body) corticosteroids in the gut. Allonix’s investigational drug binds to LRH-1 to activate corticosteroid production in intestinal cells, with the intent to reduce local inflammation and promote intestinal healing and regeneration of damaged tissue in patients with IBD.

Allonix will use the funding to prepare for FDA approval to begin clinical trials.

Exeliom Biosciences is developing an oral drug candidate containing the commensal bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii for potential use in Crohn’s disease. The investigational treatment, called EXL01, is designed to prolong the maintenance of steroid-induced remission and avoid or delay the need for treatment with biologics. EXL01 is formulated as an oral gastro-resistant capsule designed to release in the intestines.

Exeliom plans to use the IBD Ventures funding to initiate and complete a first-in-human clinical trial.