Thetis Pharmaceuticals Awarded $2.3 Million Fast-Track NIH Grant to Develop Immuno-Resolving Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BRANFORD, Conn., Nov. 16, 2017 -- Thetis Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing “immuno-resolving” therapies for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), today announced the receipt of a Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The total SBIR award provides up to $2.3 million to support development of Thetis’ TP-317 candidate as oral therapy for treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Gary Mathias, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “TP-317 offers a fundamentally new approach to IBD treatment based on active resolution of inflammation and the promotion of tissue regeneration without suppressing the immune system. The grant will support the advancement of this promising, potential new therapy into the clinic.”

Preclinical efficacy studies are being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Rosenberg, Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Rosenberg commented: “TP-317 delivers a natural bioactive lipid known as Resolvin E1 that regulates the inflammatory response. I am excited to see Thetis’ technology harness this robust pharmacology for therapeutic use.”

About TP-317
TP-317 has the potential to be a first-in-class oral, immuno-resolving alternative to biologics, immunomodulators and corticosteroids for treatment of IBD. TP-317 is a new molecular entity that delivers Resolvin E1 (RvE1), a naturally-occurring lipid that coordinates the resolution of inflammation and return to normal following an immune response. In preclinical colitis studies, both TP-317 and RvE1 have been shown to control disease activity at very small doses. TP-317 has prospects to stop new inflammation, resolve ongoing inflammation, and promote tissue regeneration and healing, without suppressing the immune system. In contrast, none of the major drug classes that are approved or in development for IBD provide this comprehensive immuno-resolving approach to disease management, and nearly all are immunosuppressive.

About Thetis
Thetis Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company developing immuno-resolving oral therapies for the treatment of IBD. The Thetis approach is based on leveraging the robust pharmacology of bioactive lipids with its proprietary technology platform to overcome the stability, manufacturing, formulation and patentability hurdles that have limited their development as pharmaceutical agents. Thetis applies this proprietary technology, called HEALER™ (High Efficiency Amino Lipid Enabled Release), to lipids that have been shown clinically and pre-clinically to have efficacy in treating inflammatory diseases.

Thetis is funded by Connecticut Innovations, Inc. and is a member of the Technology Incubation Program at University of Connecticut Health.

For more information, please visit Thetis’ website (www.thetispharma.com) and follow Thetis on Twitter (@thetispharma).

Disclaimer
The SBIR Award (R44DK116460) is supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Statements regarding TP-317 and the SBIR Award are solely the responsibility of Thetis Pharmaceuticals LLC and do not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Information
Gary Mathias
Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]