BiomX Inc. announces a new collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to identify biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (“IBD”). BiomX is a clinical-stage microbiome company advancing novel natural and engineered phage therapies that target specific pathogenic bacteria.
Under the collaboration BiomX will utilize its XMarker microbiome-based biomarker discovery platform with the goal of identifying biomarkers for a pathogenic bacterium thought to be associated with IBD. Such biomarkers could help identify IBD patients that would benefit from potential therapies targeted at the microbiome.
In September 2020, Boehringer Ingelheim and BiomX entered into their first collaboration, which focused on identifying biomarkers associated with patient phenotypes in IBD.
“Boehringer Ingelheim is developing a first-in-class pipeline to address remaining unmet needs in IBD, including complications, utilizing clinical and biomarker measures to identify these patient segments,” said Carine Boustany, Ph.D., SVP, Site Head Discovery Research US & Head of Global Immunology & Respiratory Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim. “This collaboration will help us advance our understanding of a segment of patients with IBD that may specifically benefit from blunting the recognition of the pathogenic microbiome.”
“We are pleased to enter into this second agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim,” said Jonathan Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of BiomX. “Inflammatory bowel disease is a heterogenous inflammatory condition that remains extremely difficult to treat. By leveraging our unique, ultra-high resolution XMarker biomarker discovery platform, we hope to identify those biomarkers that can pinpoint the presence of pathogenic bacteria associated with IBD. Through this collaboration, we may be able to develop effective biomarkers that can be used to segment patient groups within IBD which could help determine the most appropriate course of therapy.”
The terms of the collaboration entitle BiomX to research payments and also include an option for Boehringer Ingelheim to negotiate an exclusive right to biomarkers discovered under the collaboration. BiomX retains the right to utilize the biomarkers as companion diagnostics for phage therapy.
