Filament Biosolutions Partners with Leading Canadian Academic Centers for $9.1M Project to Study Precision Nutritional Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2018 -- Filament BioSolutions, Inc., a company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical nutrition therapeutics announced a collaboration with the University of Ottawa and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) as a corporate partner for a $9.1M CAD ($7.4M USD) project to study the clinical application of microbiome-based precision nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The research project is funded by Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Filament will support research focused on nutrition-based therapies using resistant starch for the targeted modulation of gut bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease. This large-scale research grant will fund the development of patient-specific treatment regimens based on individual microbiome composition and function. Filament will source, from industry manufacturers, a broad spectrum of resistant starch products that will be optimized for clinical benefit using Biotagenic’s proprietary microbiome screening and analysis platforms. Filament will also lead activities related to clinical, regulatory, product development, and commercialization strategies for these therapies. Recent advances in the understanding of the microbiome’s involvement in IBD has reshaped therapeutic strategies and has brought the promise of precision medicine to the forefront of our research efforts, where the unique microbiome of each patient can be used to identify the optimal treatment to restore symbiosis and induce IBD remission. 

IBD is a chronic disease associated with severe inflammation of the gut and affects more than 1.5 million patients in the United States and Canada. There is a clear need for novel therapeutics and diagnostics due to increasing global IBD incidence and the failure of some patients to respond to existing therapies. Recent advances characterizing the composition and function of the gut microbiome have created an opportunity to develop technologies that address the underlying causes of IBD.

Tom Cirrito, CEO of Filament, remarked, “We are thrilled to be corporate partners on this grant with our collaborators at the University of Ottawa, CHEO, and Biotagenics on this comprehensive proposal studying the interface of clinical nutrition and the microbiome. This is a major first step bringing us closer to developing a nutritional therapy candidate for a widely recognized unmet medical need in IBD that will improve quality of care for these patients. The project represents a unique multidisciplinary effort uniting the expertise of academia, clinical nutrition, biotechnology, and traditional food companies toward the common goal of disease modifying therapies for this debilitating life-long disease.”

About Filament BioSolutions, Inc.

Filament BioSolutions, Inc. is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative clinical nutrition products. Filament is committed to the principle of evidenced-based nutrition, and is developing high-quality products that will undergo rigorous clinical trials with thought leader support. Filament is generating a portfolio of therapeutic nutrition products that are clinically proven to improve patient health. The company’s lead product is FB-2710, an oral, proprietary formulation of an optimal analogue of glutamine to delay the onset and decrease the severity of chemotherapy and radiation-induced oral mucositis. Additionally, Filament has licensed the commercial rights to FB-4040, a patented combination of citrates and anti-oxalates to raise urine citrate and pH, from New York University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of California, San Francisco. For more information about Filament BioSolutions, Inc., visit www.filamentbiosolutions.com.

Contact
Jason Rosenberg
Filament BioSolutions Inc.
+1 (646) 838-4025
[email protected]
www.filamentbiosolutions.com