Qu Biologics Begins Research Collaboration with Dr. Bruce Vallance at the University of British Columbia to Study SSI Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 14, 2015) - Qu Biologics Inc., a biotechnology company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs) that aim to restore normal immune function in the targeted diseased organ, announced today it has begun a research collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Bruce Vallance at the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children's Hospital and the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Vallance's team will be studying the therapeutic effects of Qu Biologics' SSI treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) in a mouse model that mimics the underlying innate immune system defect and chronic bacterial infection associated with these diseases.

Dr. Hal Gunn, Chief Executive Officer of Qu Biologics commented, "We are excited to be collaborating with Dr. Vallance, whose research into immune response to gut infections has revealed important information about the underlying causes of inflammatory bowel disease." Dr. Gunn added, "Qu's QBECO SSI immunotherapy, derived from inactivated bacterial components, is designed to activate the body's innate immune response to restore normal immune function in the gastrointestinal tract and clear the chronic bacterial infection and dysbiosis that may be the underlying trigger for these diseases."

About Dr. Bruce Vallance

Dr. Vallance completed his PhD training in Gastrointestinal Inflammation at McMaster University's Intestinal Disease Research Program under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Collins and then pursued studies on disease causing bacteria at the University of British Columbia's Michael Smith Laboratories with Dr. Brett Finlay. Dr. Vallance is well recognized for his expertise in the study and modeling of IBD and enteric bacterial infections and was named the Canada Research Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology and a Michael Smith Research Scholar in 2004. He has authored more than 60 peer reviewed manuscripts addressing the mechanisms underlying IBD and infectious diseases.

About Qu Biologics

Qu Biologics is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in the way we treat cancer and other immune-related disease. Rather than blocking or stimulating a single specific receptor or pathway, the company's Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a novel class of immunotherapies, aim to restore the body's normal immune response. SSIs, which are derived from components of inactivated common bacteria, are designed to activate the body's innate immune response and restore normal immune function in the targeted organ or tissue to reverse the chronic inflammation underlying many chronic diseases including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-related conditions. The company is currently recruiting participants for a clinical trial in Crohn's disease and a Phase 2a open-label clinical trial in recurrent non-small cell lung cancer to study SSI treatment. A clinical trial in ulcerative colitis has received Health Canada approval and is expected to begin in a few weeks.

Backed by a prestigious group of scientific advisors and board members, Qu Biologics is led by a management team that includes co-founder and CEO Dr. Hal Gunn, a physician and expert on the body's immune response to chronic disease, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, former CEO of the BC Cancer Agency and a distinguished clinician, scientist and leader in cancer control internationally, and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. David Mullins, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and recognized expert in immune cell trafficking to tumours. For more information, visit www.qubiologics.com and www.qucrohnstrial.com.