New grant to help identify Crohn’s biomarkers, speed development of new therapies

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded a grant to the nonprofit Critical Path Institute to help create a Crohn’s disease biomarker pre-consortium, which will identify unmet needs for the use of biomarkers in developing new therapies for the disease.

According to Critical Path Institute (C-Path), the medical community currently lacks regulatory-endorsed biomarkers and other tools that would help in the development of improved Crohn’s disease therapies. The pre-consortium will help identify potential biomarkers and work with regulators to establish plans for the future endorsement of possible treatments, per a press release.

“At C-Path, we work collaboratively to identify mechanisms to address areas of unmet need,” John-Michael Sauer, PhD, Biomarker Program Officer at C-Path said in the press release. “The partnership and support from Helmsley will allow us to define the most effective approach to forming a Crohn’s Disease Biomarker Consortium to take forward the best biomarkers into regulatory qualification.”

The long-term goal of the pre-consortium is to validate and obtain regulatory qualification for Crohn’s disease biomarkers that will enable researchers to develop potential therapies much more quickly.

“Helmsley is committed to improving the quality of life, advancing better treatments, and ultimately finding cures for Crohn's disease patients,” Garabet Yeretssian, PhD, director of the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Crohn’s Disease Program, said in the press release. “C-Path’s initiative to identify and position Crohn’s disease-specific biomarkers for regulatory endorsement is a pivotal step in getting improved therapies into the hands of people living with Crohn’s disease more quickly than currently possible.”

Disclosures: Sauer is employed by C-Path. Yeretssian is employed by the Helmsley Charitable Trust.