LEXINGTON, Mass., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaleido Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: KLDO), a clinical-stage healthcare company with a small molecule driven approach to targeting the microbiome to treat disease and improve human health, today announced a research collaboration with researcher Robert Jenq, M.D. Professor of Genomic Medicine, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to explore the potential of Kaleido’s novel Microbiome Metabolic Therapies (MMT™) in preventing febrile neutropenia—a serious complication associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT).
Approximately 60,000 patients undergo HSCT annually in the U.S. and Europe, which includes patients with myeloid disorders, lymphoid disorders and plasma cell disorders. Recent scientific findings have demonstrated that treatment regimens given to HSCT patients have a profound detrimental effect on their microbiome, putting them at increased risk of bacterial infections, febrile neutropenia and ultimately, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
“Today, standard-of-care for patients with hematological cancers includes radiation and chemotherapy to eliminate malignant cells. This may lead to significant side effects including severe damage to the gut epithelium, and major disruption to a patient’s microbiome,” said Johan van Hylckama Vlieg, Chief Scientific Officer at Kaleido Biosciences. “Additionally, treatment combinations with broad-spectrum antibiotics used in the conditioning process, leave patients increasingly more susceptible to neutropenic fever. We are eager to work with Dr. Jenq to explore the potential of Kaleido’s MMTs to selectively support the restoration of the microbiome and gut barrier integrity, with the aim of ultimately improving treatment outcomes for patients undergoing HSCT.”
Within the collaboration, selected MMTs will be evaluated in disease animal models developed by Dr. Jenq, to further explore the molecular mechanisms by which MMTs act on the microbiome and gut barrier function and support the identification of a lead compound from Kaleido’s compound library.
About Microbiome Metabolic Therapies (MMT™)
Kaleido’s Microbiome Metabolic Therapies, or MMTs, are designed to drive the function and distribution of the microbiome organ’s existing microbes in order to decrease or increase the production of metabolites, or to advantage or disadvantage certain bacteria in the microbiome community. The Company’s initial MMT candidates are targeted glycans that are orally administered, have limited systemic exposure, and are selectively metabolized by enzymes in the microbiome. Kaleido utilizes its human-centric discovery and development platform to study MMTs in microbiome samples in an ex vivo setting, followed by advancing MMT candidates rapidly into clinical studies in healthy subjects and patients. These human clinical studies are conducted under regulations supporting research with food, evaluating safety, tolerability and potential markers of effect. For MMT candidates that are further developed as therapeutics, the Company conducts clinical trials under an Investigational New Drug (IND) or regulatory equivalent outside the U.S., and in Phase 2 or later development.
About Kaleido Biosciences
Kaleido Biosciences is a clinical-stage healthcare company with a differentiated, chemistry-driven approach to leveraging the microbiome organ to treat disease and improve human health. The Company has built a human-centric proprietary product platform to enable the rapid and cost-efficient discovery and development of novel Microbiome Metabolic Therapies (MMT™). MMTs are designed to modulate the metabolic output and profile of the microbiome by driving the function and distribution of the organ’s existing microbes. Kaleido is advancing a broad pipeline of MMT candidates with the potential to address a variety of diseases and conditions with significant unmet patient needs. To learn more, visit https://kaleido.com/.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the therapeutic potential of our MMT candidates and our strategy, business plans and focus. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those related to the breadth of our pipeline of product candidates, the strength of our proprietary product platform, the efficiency of our discovery and development approach, the clinical development and safety profile of our MMT candidates and their therapeutic potential, whether and when, if at all, our MMT candidates will receive approval form the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and for which, if any, indications, competition from other biotechnology companies, and other risks identified in our SEC filings, including our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and subsequent filings with the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Kaleido Biosciences
Contacts
Kaleido Biosciences
William Duke, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer
617-890-5772
william.duke@kaleido.com
Investors
Mike Biega
Solebury Trout
617-221-9660
mbiega@soleburytrout.com
Media
Amy Bonanno
Solebury Trout
914-450-0349
abonanno@soleburytrout.com