Symberix Featured in Nature Article

 Symberix Featured in Nature Article

Durham, NC (February 3, 2020) - An article in Nature highlights Symberix's efforts to understand the complex relationship between drugs and the microbiome. The paper discusses recent contributions to the emerging field of “pharmacomicrobiomics” -- the study of how microbes impact drug disposition, efficacy, and toxicity. Symberix is developing bacteria-targeted small molecules that prevent the GI toxicity of many common medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and irinotecan.

“A detailed understanding of which microbiota interact with which drugs, and the mechanisms behind those interactions, could suggest ways to either inhibit or enhance the interaction between drugs and the microbiome. Some mechanisms are known. For instance, the colon-cancer drug camptothecin-11 is metabolized by the liver into an inactive molecule; enzymes produced by gut bacteria, however, can reactivate it into a toxic form, causing severe diarrhoea. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have come up with a compound that could target the enzymes without disrupting the microbiome — a potential treatment for the diarrhoea. And their spin-off company, Symberix, is developing treatments to reduce side effects caused by gut bacteria.” 

Read the full Nature article here.

Symberix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing the first generation of gut microbiome-targeting drugs to treat lower GI disorders. Gut microbes express numerous proteins, including a family of bacterial β-glucuronidase enzymes capable of generating toxic metabolites of many common medications in the lower GI tract. Symberix is developing bacterial β-glucuronidase inhibitors as adjunctive therapy to mitigate drug-induced toxicities and is exploring their use as monotherapy for other lower GI disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease. Symberix’s internal team and external advisors have a deep understanding of the biology of the gut microbiome, and extensive drug discovery and clinical development experience.

Contact:
Greg Mossinghoff
Chief Business Officer
Symberix, Inc.
Greg.Mossinghoff@Symberix.com