Vedanta Biosciences, a clinical-stage company developing a new category of therapies for immune-mediated diseases based on consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria, announced earlier this week that it has raised $27 million in financing with participation from new and existing strategic and institutional investors.
Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance Vedanta Biosciences’ pipeline of microbiome-derived product candidates, including a Phase 1/2 study of VE416 in food allergy, a Phase 1b/2 study of VE800 and Opdivo (nivolumab) in advanced or metastatic cancers, and the recently initiated Phase 2 study of VE303 in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI).
Unlike fecal transplants which require use of donors and are an untargeted, variable procedure, Vedanta’s approach is based on bacterial consortia therapeutics, which are defined drug compositions produced from clonally isolated bacteria that can trigger targeted immune responses. Unlike simplistic approaches such as single strain probiotics, defined consortia can robustly shift the composition of the gut microbiota and provide colonization resistance against a range of intestinal infectious pathogens. These therapeutics can also stimulate a range of immune responses ranging from immunoregulatory responses, which hold potential in the treatment of autoimmune and allergic diseases, to immunopotentiating responses, which hold potential in cancer and vaccination.
Current food allergy treatment options primarily center around allergen avoidance and desensitization regimens in development carry risk and require treatment for life. Vedanta asserts their product candidates being developed may safely induce permanent tolerance to food allergens.
- Vedanta Biosciences Raises $27 Million Series C Financing to Advance Clinical Pipeline of Microbiome-Derived Product Candidates – Company Press Release
- Microbiome-Derived Immune Modulators – Puretech Health
