MRM Health – Leveraging Next Generation Microbiome-Based Therapeutics

Recent developments in the understanding of the relationship between the microbiota and its host have provided evidence regarding the therapeutic potential of selected microorganisms to prevent or treat disease. We are 30 trillion human cells and 100 trillion microbial cells. These microbial communities play critical roles in supporting life and health. The microbiome is the collective genome of organisms that live in, on and around us, sometimes referred to as the forgotten organ. It plays a key role in health and disease. The microbiome acts as master regulator of the immune system. The gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in local and systemic immunity and homeostasis. The host-microbe interaction leads to fine-tuned regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. The modulation of the severity of a disorder through dietary interventions and their influence on microbiome–immune interactions is an exciting area of research.

Indeed, LBPs are not intended to reach the systemic circulation targeting distant organs, tissues, or receptors, but rather exert their effect through direct interactions with the complex native microbiota and/or the modulation of complex host-microbiota relation, indirectly leading to distant biological effects within the host. Hence, developers must rely on a thorough risk analysis, and pharmaceutical guidelines for other biological products should be taken into account in order to design relevant non-clinical and clinical development programmes.

MRM Health is one such biotech company specialized in the development of breakthrough Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs), a novel class of potentially disease-mitigating therapeutics. MRM Health's proprietary technology platform brings live microbial therapeutics development to the next level by combining rationally selected strains into Optimized Consortia through a proprietary optimization process and a unique manufacturing strategy as single Drug Substance. The company develops Optimized Consortia, the next-generation of microbiome therapeutics based on live bacterial consortia. Using a bioinformatics-guided in-human discovery engine and Microbiome Optimization Technology, disease-specific therapeutic consortia are designed with optimized potency, capable of effective engraftment and rapid onset-of-action, with a range of robust and superior functional responses.

Providing Best-in-Class novel class of potentially disease-mitigating therapeutics

Microbial Resource Management: MRM Health utilizes its expertise in gastrointestinal microbiology and Microbial Resource Management (MRM) to overcome the critical bottlenecks related to CMC, engraftment and efficacy, currently hampering microbiome-based product development. The company has developed a unique and differentiating platform for the discovery and development of novel microbiome-based therapeutics and has set up a diversified pipeline of differentiating product leads based on live bacteria for the prevention or treatment of a number of conditions.

MH002 for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis and Beyond: MH002 is an orally administered Optimized Consortium, consisting of six rationally selected commensal bacteria and designed to repair multiple key disease-modifying mechanisms in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. MH002 is in Phase Ib/2a clinical development for treatment of mild-to-moderate Ulcerative Colitis, with a second clinical program in preparation for a specific niche indication within the IBD field. It is manufactured with MRM’s scalable and cost-effective single drug substance technology.

The Leader Upfront

Sam Possemiers, PhD is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MRM Health. He has over 15 years’ expertise in gut microbiology, host-microbiome interactions and immunity at both academic and industrial level. He is an experienced entrepreneur with an extensive commercial network and previously co-founded ProDigest, which he built and led as CEO for 12 years. He also co-founded MRM Technologies, a center of expertise for microbiome R&D, and previously acted as R&D Director of BioActor, a Netherlands-based health ingredient company. He holds a PhD in intestinal microbial ecology from Ghent University, in partnership with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in Paris, France.

“Our unique consortium manufacturing technology as single Drug Substance allows scalable and accelerated manufacturing development with strongly reduced complexity and Cost of Goods.”