Treatment with Gelesis hydrogel prevented unwanted substances from
entering the circulation in mice with severe gut wall injury
Data suggest Gel-B (GS300) repairs the seal between intestinal
epithelial cells
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gelesis,
a biotechnology company at the forefront of developing therapies based
on mechanobiology to treat chronic diseases related to the
gastrointestinal (GI) system, today announced compelling preclinical
data suggesting that the Company’s proprietary hydrogel formulation,
Gel-B (GS300), restored gut barrier function after damage. The gut
barrier plays a key role in blocking intestinal toxins from entering the
circulation and triggering disease. Building on previous preclinical
work, Gel-B was engineered to elicit the mechanical and physical
properties required to optimize intestinal tissue healing. The hydrogel,
which represents a pioneering advance in the emerging field of
mechanobiology, is being studied in diseases affected by gut barrier
dysfunction, such as inflammatory bowel disease.
The study presented at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society’s annual
meeting, assessed the effect of Gel-B on gut barrier function in mice
following a severe insult to the gut wall by administering 3% dextran
sodium sulfate for 5 days. Mice were randomly divided into 4 doses of
Gel-B (0.5%- 4.0%), control or an active Anti-p40 mAb group. The mice
treated with Gel-B had fewer epithelial barrier breaks in distal colon
samples and lower infiltration of an ingested fluorescing agent into
their circulation.
“These preclinical data support the ability of Gel-B to reverse
increased intestinal permeability in a DSS mouse model,” said Elaine
Chiquette, Pharm.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Gelesis. “We are
continuing to advance our understanding of how our proprietary hydrogel
platform technology can mechanically influence intestinal tissue repair.”
Gelesis’ proprietary hydrogels are made from two naturally derived
building blocks, modified cellulose cross-linked with citric acid, that
create a three-dimensional matrix.
About Gelesis
Gelesis is developing a novel hydrogel
platform technology to treat overweight and obesity and chronic diseases
related to the GI pathway. Gelesis’ proprietary approach is designed to
act mechanically in the GI pathway to potentially alter the course of
chronic diseases. The company’s lead product candidate, Gelesis100, has
been submitted to the FDA for review as a weight management aid.
Additionally, Gelesis is developing its second candidate, Gelesis200, a
hydrogel optimized for weight loss and glycemic control in patients with
type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Novel hydrogel mechanotherapeutics
based on the Gelesis platform technology are also being advanced through
a pipeline in other GI inflammatory conditions where gut barrier and gut
permeability potentially play a role, such as non-alcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The Gelesis executive and advisory team includes some of the world’s
leading experts in obesity, materials science, chronic disease research
and commercialization. Gelesis was co-founded by PureTech Health (LSE:
PRTC), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG)
axis. For more information, visit gelesis.com or
connect with us on Twitter @GelesisInc.
Contacts
Investors
Kathryn McNeil
+1 347 204 4226
kmcneil@gelesis.com
U.S.
media
Tom Donovan
+1 857 559 3397
tom@tenbridgecommunications.com