Bridge Biotherapeutics Presented Preclinical and Phase I Study Results for BBT-401 at the Crohn's & Colitis Congress

SEONGNAM, South Korea, Feb. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridge Biotherapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biotech company headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea, announced that the company presented the preclinical and the Phase I study results for BBT-401, a drug candidate for Ulcerative Colitis (UC) treatment, at the poster session of the Crohn's & Colitis Congress held in Las Vegas, NV from February 7^th to 9^th.

The congress, which is based on a partnership between the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), brings healthcare professionals, academics and the pharma/bio industry across the globe for better Inflammatory Bowl Diseases (IBD) treatments and patient care.

BBT-401, a potent first-in-class drug candidate as Pellino-1 inhibitor, demonstrated superior anti-UC efficacy compared to other therapies in the preclinical studies, which includes improved clinical symptoms and reduced gross and histo-pathology scores.

In addition, the Phase I clinical study data indicate that BBT-401 is safe and well tolerated in the healthy volunteers as the drug candidate has not been systemically exposed after oral administrations. It strongly suggests that BBT-401 will exclusively act on damaged intestinal membranes of UC patients, which will lead to the development of an efficient UC therapeutics.

The drug candidate is currently under the Phase 2 clinical study for UC patients in the U.S. The first cohort is open for enrollment with a targeted completion by the end of the year. The dosing regimens of the second and the third cohorts will be determined based on the results of preceding cohorts.

"It is such a great opportunity for us to present the preclinical and the Phase I study results supporting the safety and tolerability of BBT-401 at the congress. Our team aims to develop the drug candidate as the first-in-class drug for UC as fast as possible to bring this novel compound to patients as new treatment option, proving strong anti-inflammatory efficacy in active UC patients," stated Dr. Gwanghee Lee, the Head of Translational Research at Bridge Biotherapeutics.

BBT-401, discovered by SKKU (Sungkyunkwan University) and KRICT (Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology) is a GI-tract restricted small molecule inhibitor of Pellino-1. Bridge Biotherapeutics and Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a Korean pharmaceutical giant, have recently signed a license agreement for co-development of BBT-401.

For More Information

1. Bridge Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Bridge Biotherapeutics is a virtually-operated, venture-backed clinical stage biotech engaged in the development of novel therapeutics in the therapeutic areas of high unmet needs such as ulcerative colitis, fibrotic diseases and cancers.  Following its first compound BBT-401, BBT-877, a potent and selective Autotaxin (ENPP) inhibitor is being developed potentially for the treatment of various fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Bridge Biotherapeutics is a JLABS tenant company at JLABS@TMC, Houston, TX.

2. About Pellino Proteins

Pellino proteins are a family of E3 ubiquitin ligases which are highly conserved across species in mammal. Pellinos also serve as scaffold proteins that bind to proteins in inflammatory signaling pathways, including IRAK4, MyD88 (myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88) and to RIPK1 in various physio-pathological conditions.

3. About the Crohn's & Colitis Congress®[i]

The Crohn's & Colitis Congress® combines the strengths of the nation's leading IBD patient organization, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, and the premier GI professional association, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). The Congress brings together IBD professionals, across all disciplines, and merges the best of science and clinical care in a collaborative, comprehensive-multidisciplinary networking and education event to transform IBD patient care. Learn more at crohnscolitiscongress.org.

* The image of the poster presented at the 2019 Crohn's & Colitis Congress may be downloaded at http://bit.ly/bbt-401-ccc2019.

SOURCE Bridge Biotherapeutics, Inc.