Date: 2014-06-10
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: SYN-004, beta-lactam antibiotics
Company: Synthetic Biologics (USA - MD) Enterome Bioscience (France)
Therapeutic area: Infectious diseases
Type agreement: R&D
Action mechanism:
Disease: C. difficile infections
Details: * On June 10, 2014, Synthetic Biologics, a developer of novel anti-infective biologic and drug candidates targeting specific pathogens that cause serious infections and diseases, and Enterome Bioscience, a pioneer in the development of innovative disease management solutions based on a deep understanding of the gut microbiome, announced that they have entered into an agreement to conduct metagenomic research on the effects of beta-lactam antibiotics on the gastrointestinal microflora (microbiome) of human patients. As part of this collaboration, a clinical microbiome study of approximately 100 patients is expected to begin next month. Research findings should provide important insights as Synthetic Biologics advances the development of SYN-004, which is intended to protect the gut microbiome from the effects of intravenous beta-lactam antibiotics, and in particular to prevent C. difficile infections. Phase Ia and Ib clinical trials of Synthetic Biologics’ SYN-004 are scheduled to begin later this year.
The Enterome microbiome study, scheduled for completion in the second half of 2014, is expected to provide a better understanding of the harmful effects of beta-lactam antibiotics on the gut bacterial community. The goal is to establish a “fingerprint” of the damage caused by beta-lactam antibiotics, thus yielding a panel of bacterial biomarkers that can be leveraged for diagnostic purposes. This novel study should clearly define the impact of beta-lactam antibiotics on the natural bacterial diversity of the gut microbiome. Changes in the gut microbiome have been related to multiple diseases, including C. diff infections, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. This study will utilize Enterome’s state-of-the-art shotgun metagenomic sequencing technology to profile the human gut microbiome.
Financial terms:
Latest news:
