Biotechnology company Qu Biologics Inc. will initiate patient enrollment for two new clinical trials to evaluate a therapy for Crohn’s disease. The company is studying the use of its Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), to restore the normal immune function of the body as a potential treatment for Crohn’s in two trials that will take place in Edmonton, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario, both in Canada.
The two trials to be conducted by Qu Biologics were designed as randomized, placebo-controlled research studies with volunteers who suffer from moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease. During the studies, investigators will analyze the use of QBECO SSI, which is a novel immunotherapy based on compounds from the inactivated E. coli bacteria that is expected to stimulate an innate immune response in the gastrointestinal tract and attack the chronic inflammation associated to the disease.
“Opening trial sites in Edmonton and Toronto allow participants from other provinces to access our clinical trial closer to home,” said the CEO of Qu Biologics, Hal Gunn in a press release. “These two new clinical trial sites will also help us accelerate our goal of completing trial enrollment by Q3 2015 and obtaining primary results by the end of the year.”
In addition to Edmonton and Toronto, the trial is also being conducted in Vancouver. The research is being supervised by a group of recognized scientists and board members, including Gunn, who is a physician and specialist on the immune response of the body to chronic conditions, as well as the chief medical officer of the company, Simon Sutcliffe, an awarded physician and researcher, and chief scientific officer David Mullins, an assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology and specialist in immune cell trafficking for tumors.
Qu Biologics Inc. was also recently granted a U.S. Patient from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the use of components from E. coli to treat Crohn’s. The patent was issued on March 17, 2015 based on Qu Biologics’ patent portfolio that includes SSI treatment of multiple inflammatory disorders and cancers. The company is now also planning on starting studies on ulcerative colitis during the second quarter of 2015.