Second Genome Nominates Development Candidate Targeting PAI-1/2 for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

BRISBANE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Second Genome, a biotechnology company that leverages its proprietary platform to discover and develop precision therapies and biomarkers, today announced that the Company will advance SG-5-00455, which targets plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1/2, as a development candidate for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Company will present new preclinical data on SG-5-00455 at the virtual 17th Congress of European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) on February 18, 2022.

"We are excited to be moving SG-5-00455, our development candidate for the treatment of IBD, one step closer to patients. With its PAI-1/2 inhibition mechanism of action, we are targeting a well validated pathway that has been shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of IBD. We believe that direct modulation of tissue repair pathways has the potential to directly improve mucosal healing and drive superior therapeutic outcomes, including when combined with the current standard of care anti-inflammatory approaches," said Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Second Genome. "This is an important milestone for Second Genome's internal pipeline. We look forward to presenting new data at ECCO'22 and hosting our upcoming IBD KOL expert panel, both of which are occurring later this month, as we plan to file an investigational new drug (IND) application for SG-5-00455 in the second half of 2022."

SG-5-00455 could potentially be a first-in-class precision therapeutic that directly targets mucosal healing in IBD patients. The development candidate was generated using a novel, naturally derived protein (SG-2-0776), that was subsequently engineered into an Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) drug delivery system, SG-5-00455, for direct, non-systemic delivery to the gut. This enables precise targeting of mucosal healing, a key therapeutic goal for IBD and an important U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) metric for clinical trial outcomes.

At ECCO'22, Second Genome's Chief Science Officer, Joseph Dal Porto, Ph.D. will present, "DOP54: Identification and development of a 1st in class naturally-derived protein that drives mucosal healing and is orally delivered by an engineered cellular therapy targeting the gastro-intestinal tract," during the Virtual Plenary Hall session, "DOP Session 6: The Artic: IBD Basic Science," taking place on Friday, February 18, 2022, at 5:25 – 6:25 EST (17:25 – 18:25 CEST).

On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EST, Second Genome will host a virtual KOL panel, "SG-5-00455 and the Role of Mucosal Healing and PAI-1/2 in IBD." Additional details about the event will be announced publicly and a link to the event will be available on the Company's website at https://www.secondgenome.com.   

About Second Genome

Second Genome is a biotechnology company that leverages its proprietary technology-enabled platform to discover and develop transformational precision therapies based on novel microbial genetic insights. We built a proprietary drug discovery platform with machine-learning analytics, customized protein engineering techniques, phage library screening, mass spec analysis and CRISPR, that we couple with traditional drug development approaches to progress the development of precision therapies for wide-ranging diseases. Second Genome is advancing lead programs in IBD and cancer into IND-enabling studies. We also collaborate with industry, academic and governmental partners to leverage our platform and data science capabilities. We hold a strategic collaboration with Gilead Sciences, Inc., utilizing our proprietary platform and comprehensive data sets to identify novel biomarkers associated with clinical response to Gilead's investigational medicines. We also hold a strategic collaboration with Arena Pharmaceuticals to identify microbiome biomarkers associated with clinical response for their lead program in gastroenterology, etrasimod. For more information, please visit www.secondgenome.com. 

Investor Contact:
Argot Partners
212-600-1902
[email protected] 

Media Contact:
Argot Partners
212-600-1902
[email protected]

SOURCE Second Genome