Nestlé Health Science has returned to the deal table once again, putting down 40 million euros ($41 million) to co-develop Enterome’s preclinical IL-10 inducer and collaborate on the discovery of other food allergy candidates.
Enterome’s internal pipeline skews toward cancer, with phase 1/2 clinical trials of two drug candidates underway in indications including recurrent glioblastoma and B-cell malignancies. However, the biotech has a longstanding interest in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that has generated a Crohn’s disease prospect that is in phase 2 development in partnership with Takeda.
Now, Enterome has found a partner for its lead EndoMimics compound. The platform is designed to create orally available drugs based on proteins secreted by gut bacteria. Because the proteins act like human hormones or cytokines, Enterome sees them as a way to treat a range of immune diseases.
Nestlé has bought into the idea. In return for 40 million euros upfront in cash and equity, the company has secured the chance to co-develop EB1010. The molecule is designed to treat inflammatory bowel disease by inducing high local secretion of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Because IL-10 deficiency is central to multiple conditions, other groups have developed recombinant IL-10 candidates, only to be thwarted by stability and tolerability.
“We believe that EB1010, administered orally as a pill, has the potential to prevent or diminish the intensity of allergic reactions in the gut. EB1010, which will also be evaluated in inflammatory bowel disease, will be applicable to many different types of food allergies,” Christophe Bonny, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Enterome, said in a statement.
Enterome is preparing to put that idea to the test in humans, with a clinical trial scheduled to start next year. The study could lead to work on combination therapies that pair EB1010 with molecules discovered in the other part of Nestlé’s deal with Enterome.
The deal tasks Enterome with discovering AllerMimics, candidates that mimic food allergens to generate immune tolerance, and more EndoMimics that cut inflammation caused by food allergies. Bonny sees opportunities to combine EB1010 with AllerMimics. Enterome will be responsible for drug discovery and costs up to entering human trials. As the candidates advance, the biotech is in line to receive clinical and sales milestones.
For Nestlé, the deal is the latest in a string of partnerships and acquisitions related to food allergies, gut health and the microbiome. The string includes a $175 million bet on Seres Therapeutics’ microbiome treatment and the $2.1 billion takeover of peanut allergy player Aimmune Therapeutics.