PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inotrem, an advanced clinical stage biotech company specialized in immunotherapies for acute and chronic inflammatory syndromes, announced today a R&D collaboration agreement with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to support the development of a new therapeutic approach in IBD. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is one of world’s largest and most influential non-profit organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The objective of the R&D collaboration is to confirm the relationship between the activation of the TREM-1 pathway and the severity and progression of IBD in patients, with the ultimate intention of developing a new treatment. Inotrem will conduct this project in partnership with the Division of Gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Under the terms of the agreement, Inotrem will access data and bio-samples from Foundation’s IBD Plexus®, which is the largest IBD database in the US with data from over 25,000 patients. The project is expected to last 18 months and will be a cornerstone in the design of Inotrem’s new drug candidate first-in-human clinical study.
There are today 10 million people worldwide suffering from IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), a lifelong illness for which the medical need continues to be important despite improvement over the last 30 years. Approximately 30% of patients are primarily unresponsive to existing therapies and even among responders, up to 10% will lose their response to the drug every year.
For a decade, Inotrem has been pioneering the biology of TREM-1 as a regulator of the immune response in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. TREM-1 has been reported as a likely contributor to IBD pathophysiology, and targeting this biological pathway could offer a new treatment option for IBD patients with immune dysregulation.
Sven Zimmermann, CEO of Inotrem, says: “We are looking forward to collaborating with such a recognized and well-respected organization as The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The robustness and diversity of their IBD patient database is unparalleled and will allow for in-depth analysis of TREM-1 potential as a therapeutic target in IBD patients. This agreement marks the beginning a long and fruitful partnership”.
“We are dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life for those affected by these diseases,” said Dr. Caren Heller, Chief Scientific Officer for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “We are pleased to work with Inotrem, a company that has developed a strong scientific leadership around the TREM-1 pathway, and look forward to understanding the potential ways that the TREM-1 pathway may play a role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.”
About Inotrem
Inotrem S.A. is a biotechnology company specialized in immunotherapy for acute and chronic inflammatory syndromes. The company has developed a new concept of immunomodulation that targets the TREM-1 pathway to control unbalanced inflammatory responses. Through its proprietary technology platform, Inotrem has developed the first-in-class TREM-1 inhibitor, LR12 (nangibotide), with potential applications in a number of therapeutic indications such as septic shock and myocardial infarction. In parallel, Inotrem has also launched another program to develop a new therapeutic modality targeting chronic inflammatory diseases. The company was founded in 2013 by Dr Jean-Jacques Garaud, a former head of research and early development at the Roche Group, Prof. Sébastien Gibot and Dr Marc Derive. Inotrem is supported by leading European and North American investors. www.inotrem.com
