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Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Funding Microbiome IBD Drug Development
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New funding from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation will help advance the development of a microbiome-derived therapy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Vedanta Biosciences said it hopes to build on the findings of one of its scientific co-founders, Kenya Honda, MD, PhD, of the Keio University School of Medicine, to develop a treatment to target bacteria that has been suggested as a potential trigger for IBD, according to a press release.
“Dr. Honda’s research suggests an entirely new approach to help IBD patients by specific elimination of pro-inflammatory bacteria” Bernat Olle, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Vedanta said in the press release. “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.”
Previous preclinical research by Honda and his group found that colonization of the gut by Klebsiella pneumoniae activates inflammatory T helper 1 cells, causing the intestinal inflammation that can lead to the onset of IBD. Vedanta is developing groups of beneficial bacteria that could decolonize the Klebsiella bacteria to treat IBD, according to the press release.
The funding is part of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s new Entrepreneurial Investing Initiative. Vedanta is the first commercial organization to receive funding from the program.
“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,” Michael Osso, president and CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation said in the press release. “Vedanta’s pioneering work has promise to advance discoveries in this area toward new therapeutic options for patients with IBD.”
Disclosures: Honda and Olle are employed by Vedanta Biosciences. Osso is employed by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.