CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRB), a leading microbiome therapeutics platform company, today announced that it has initiated a sponsored research agreement with Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine focused on identifying new microbiome therapeutic candidates for liver diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Mayo Clinic Professor Nicholas F. LaRusso, M.D., a leading researcher studying the role of the microbiome in inflammatory liver diseases, will collaborate with Seres scientists on clinical and preclinical studies to identify novel microbiome therapeutic candidates for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), an orphan indication characterized by bile duct inflammation and reduction in bile acid flow. This research also will provide mechanistic insights into the role of the microbiome in additional liver conditions, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Recent research published inHepatology suggested that key changes in the microbiome may contribute to the bile duct injury observed in patients with PSC.1
“Mayo Clinic is conducting pioneering research to further characterize the microbiome signatures associated with serious inflammatory liver diseases, including PSC,” said David Cook, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer of Seres. “We are excited to collaborate with Dr. LaRusso and the Mayo Clinic team on studies that we believe will inform the design of our next-generation of Ecobiotic® therapeutic candidates for treating liver diseases of high unmet medical need.
Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in Seres as a result of a previously disclosed June 2014 research agreement where Mayo Clinic obtained a warrant to purchase shares of common stock.
About Seres Therapeutics
Seres Therapeutics, Inc. is a leading microbiome therapeutics platform company developing a novel class of biological drugs that are designed to treat disease by restoring the function of a dysbiotic microbiome, where the natural state of bacterial diversity and function is imbalanced. Seres’ most advanced program, SER-109, has successfully completed a Phase 1b/2 study demonstrating a clinical benefit in patients with recurring Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 study in recurring CDI. The FDA has granted SER-109 Orphan Drug, as well as Breakthrough Therapy, designations. Seres’ second clinical candidate, SER-287, is being evaluated in a Phase 1b study in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). For more information, please visit www.serestherapeutics.com. Follow us on Twitter @SeresTx.
About Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)
NASH is a chronic liver disease affecting approximately 2 to 3% of the U.S. population. In patients with NASH, the liver is characterized by accumulation of fat, inflammation and tissue damage. NASH can lead to fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis, in which the liver is permanently damaged, and is a major underlying cause of liver transplant.
PSC is a serious chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the bile ducts, which carry the digestive liquid bile from the liver to the small intestine. In PSC, inflammation causes bile duct tissue injury and dysfunction that can lead to serious liver damage.
