Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Enterome,
a pioneer in the development of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics based on
the gut microbiome, announced that they have entered into an
Immuno-Oncology focused collaboration agreement for the discovery and
development of microbiome-derived biomarkers, drug targets and bioactive
molecules to be developed as potential companion diagnostics and
therapeutics for cancer. Additionally, the collaboration will seek to
identify novel microbiome-derived biomarkers in an effort to improve
clinical outcomes for patients treated with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s
Immuno-Oncology portfolio.
The collaboration will combine Bristol-Myers Squibb’s expertise in the
discovery and development of novel immunotherapies with Enterome’s
proprietary metagenomic technology platform and leadership in the
rapidly advancing science of the gut microbiome to support the discovery
of novel immunotherapy agents and biomarkers. There is a growing body of
scientific evidence to suggest that the gut microbiome plays an
important role in modulating mechanisms of response and resistance to
cancer immunotherapies. Changes in a host’s immune system driven by the
gut microbiome can be exploited to identify specific targets and
bioactive compounds with the potential to augment anti-cancer immune
responses.
“We continue to pursue the full potential of Immuno-Oncology by applying
rapidly evolving science, technology and research to our strong
foundation in harnessing the immune system to fight cancer,” said Carl
Decicco, Ph.D., head of discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Business
development has been integral in partnering external innovation with our
internal R&D expertise and capabilities. Enterome’s focus on target
identification and validation along with their significant experience in
microbiome research can help to advance our goal to improve outcomes for
patients treated with immunotherapies.”
“We are delighted to collaborate with Bristol-Myers Squibb to help
advance the field of Immuno-Oncology,” said Pierre Belichard, chief
executive officer at Enterome. “The exciting combination of
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s extensive capabilities in Immuno-Oncology with
our expertise in identifying novel targets and molecules derived from
the gut microbiome is highly complementary, and offers a unique
opportunity to develop a new generation of cancer drugs and diagnostics.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Bristol-Myers Squibb will be granted
exclusive rights to intellectual property and therapies generated during
the collaboration. Enterome will receive an upfront payment of $15
million for access to its technology plus R&D funding. Enterome is also
eligible to receive preclinical and clinical milestone payments for each
licensed therapeutic candidate plus royalties on net sales. Enterome is
eligible for additional milestone payments in relation to new diagnostic
products discovered and developed during the collaboration. Further
details of the agreement were not disclosed.
About the Microbiome and Immuno-Oncology
In the past decade, an explosion of research in the microbiome field has
revealed a remarkable symbiotic relationship between the gut bacteria
and its human host, enhancing biotech companies’ interest in
manipulating this relationship to improve human health. Scientists have
shown that the gut microbiome plays an important role in regulating
metabolism, influencing the chemistry in the brain, acting as a barrier
to pathogens and regulating the immune system. In the cancer context,
recent publications have demonstrated the role of the intestinal
microbiome in mediating immune activation in response to
chemotherapeutic agents. New cancer immunotherapies have improved
outcomes in cancer patients and their combination with microbiome-based
therapeutics may help to boost the immune system and potentially lead to
improved outcomes in more patients.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission
is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help
patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about
Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or
follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter,
and YouTube.
About Enterome
Enterome is pioneering the development of novel pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics to support personalized therapies in microbiome-related
diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), cancer and metabolic
diseases.
Enterome is also leading the development of new industry standards in
gut microbiome quantitative and functional analysis. This technology
leadership allows Enterome to open up the new field of therapeutic
target discovery in the microbiome in order to address significant unmet
medical needs.
Enterome has established partnerships with leading pharmaceutical
companies and academic research institutes, including Johnson & Johnson
Innovation/Janssen Biotech, Takeda and Abbvie in inflammatory bowel and
gastro-intestinal diseases; Bristol-Myers Squibb in immuno-oncology; and
the Mayo Clinic and Geisinger hospitals in metabolic disorders.
The Company was established in 2012 in Paris, France to develop the
discoveries made by the INRA metagenomic platform. The Company has
raised a total of €32 million from leading venture capital investors
(Seventure Partners, Lundbeckfonden Ventures, Health for Life Capital &
Omnes Capital) and strategic investors (Nestlé Health Science, Shire &
INRA Transfert). Additional information about Enterome is available
through its website: www.enterome.com.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term
is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
regarding the research, development and commercialization of
pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on
current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties,
including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and
could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from
current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be
guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that the
investigational compounds discussed in this release will be successfully
developed or approved for any of the indications described in this
release. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be
evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers
Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary
factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2015 in our Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb
undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Bristol-Myers Squibb CompanyMedia:Ken Dominski, 609-252-5251 ken.dominski@bms.com orLisa McCormick Lavery, 609-252-7602 lisa.mccormicklavery@bms.com orInvestors:Tim Power, 609-252-7509 timothy.power@bms.com orBill Szablewski, 609-252-5894 william.szablewski@bms.com orEnteromeMedia:Citigate Dewe RogersonDavid Dible / Mark Swallow / Marine Perrier+44 207 638 9571, enterome@citigatedr.co.uk orInvestors:Pierre Belichard, +33 6 81 53 96 33CEO pbelichard@enterome.com