PARIS, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

ENTEROME Bioscience SA, a pioneer in the development of innovative disease management solutions based on a deep understanding of the gut microbiome, is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement with Mayo Clinic. The collaboration is focused on the discovery and validation of gut microbiome-based diagnostic tests for predicting response to medical nutritional intervention in obese or overweight patients.

Enterome's scientific founder Dusko Ehrlich and his collaborators at INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) and ICAN (Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition) have identified a panel of bacterial biomarkers from the gut microbiome (collectively known as MET 230) that enables the stratification of patients based on the health and diversity of their gut microbiome. In a 400-patient study, this panel of biomarkers has been correlated to the metabolic profile of obese patients as well as to their responsiveness to nutritional intervention (Refs 1,2).

From this scientific finding, Enterome, under a license agreement with INRA, is developing a diagnostic test dedicated to the management of obesity and personalization of medical nutrition to patient's needs. It is hoped that the application of Enterome's technology will be a key driver for improving the outcome of stratified nutritional strategies and in the future the development of novel drugs or functional food products aiming to decrease co-morbidities associated to overweight and obesity (i.e. type 2 diabetes).

Mayo Clinic is currently conducting a study to characterize the gut microbiome before and after dietary intervention. If successful this study would enable the commercialization of a personalized nutrition test for patients with obesity associated with low grade inflammation and certain metabolic risk factors.

Currently one third of US population is obese and this proportion is expected to increase to 50% by 2030. Approximately $200 billion annually is spent on obesity-related illnesses in the US.  In parallel, almost 40% of the US population is dieting at any point in time resulting in a market for weight management products worth $20 billion per annum. Obesity is associated with a wide range of health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory diseases.

Pierre Belichard, CEO, said: "The signing of this agreement with Mayo Clinic is another key corporate milestone for Enterome, and I am very pleased Mayo Clinic will work with us on such an important project.  It is clear that new personalized medicine/nutrition solutions are needed if we are going to properly address the growing problem of obesity and its negative impact on public health."  

"It is well known that a healthy diet and regular exercise are key to losing weight, but there is another factor that may be just as influential - a person's microbiome," said Vandana Nehra, M.D., Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic. "This study will use a weight loss program at Mayo Clinic to examine the effect of intervention with diet and exercise on the microbiome."

Mayo Clinic and Dr. Nehra have a financial interest in the technology referenced in this news release. Revenue Mayo receives is used to support its not-for-profit mission. 

References 

1. Le Chatelier, E. et al Richness of human gut microbiome correlates with metabolic markers Nature. 2013 Aug 29; 500(7464):541-6
2. Cotillard, A. et al Dietary intervention impact on gut microbial gene richness Nature. 2013 Aug 29; 500(7464):585-8

About Enterome:  

Enterome is pioneering the development of innovative disease management solutions based on a deep understanding of the gut microbiome. Understanding and modifying the changes that occur in the gut microbiome during disease and in response to therapeutic interventions represent an entirely new and untapped opportunity to impact medicine.

Initially Enterome is using its expertise and proprietary technologies to develop novel diagnostic products to support patient stratification, personalized therapies and the clinical development of new drugs for the treatment of microbiome-related diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic diseases (diabetes and obesity). Enterome's unique Metagenotyping® process has allowed it to develop biomarkers for treatment response prediction, disease activity monitoring and as potential companion diagnostics.

The company was established in 2012 in Paris, France, and has raised a total of €17.5m from leading venture capital investors (Seventure Partners, Lundbeckfond Ventures and Omnes Capital and two strategic investors (Danone & Shire).

http://www.enterome.com

SOURCE Enterome Bioscience