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Qu Biologics Discovers that Immune Biomarkers May Predict Response to Novel Immune Therapy for Crohn's Disease
Wednesday, April 5, 2017Company Profile | Follow Company
Qu Biologics' CEO Dr. Hal Gunn
Vancouver, BC, April 5, 2017--(T-Net)--Qu Biologics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a unique platform of immunotherapies designed to restore the body's innate immune system, has identified immune factors (cytokines and growth factors) in the blood of patients with Crohn's disease that may predict response to SSI therapy.
This discovery emerged from further analysis of Qu Biologics' recently completed Phase 2 Study in Crohn's disease.
When combined with patients' clinical profiles, these biomarkers may identify patients likely to respond to SSI treatment.
Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO of Qu Biologics, explained, “With the previously identified genetic markers correlated with SSI response in this trial, these findings mean that patients with Crohn's disease may now be closer to having precision treatment for their condition for the first time.”
In addition, Qu Biologics' Phase 2 randomized placebo-controlled Crohn's disease trial results demonstrated that specific blood immune markers associated with immune activation and mucosal healing increased with SSI treatment and SSI response/remission.
Dr. Shirin Kaylan, Qu Biologics' Director of Scientific Innovation, added, “We found that SSI treatment activated specific immune pathways in people with Crohn's disease who responded or went into remission with SSI therapy. This highlights the potential of this novel approach to treat Crohn's disease, which restores innate immune function instead of suppressing immune activity like current treatments.”
Dr. Hal Gunn, added, “In addition to blood immune biomarkers that may predict response to SSI treatment, we may have biomarkers that can be used to monitor SSI treatment response, which is very exciting.”Qu Biologics plans to initiate a follow-on clinical trial in Crohn's disease later in 2017 to confirm the value of these blood immune biomarkers in predicting and monitoring response to SSI therapy. Jim Pankovich, Qu Biologics' VP Clinical Operations and Drug Development, stated,
“The establishment of a biomarker assay to predict a patient's response to treatment and to monitor treatment response could be a turning-point for patients with Crohn's disease and their health care providers who currently have to resort to trial and error in finding effective medications for this challenging disease.”
For more information about Qu Biologics and the science behind SSIs, visit www.qubiologics.com.
About Qu Biologics
Qu Biologics is a Vancouver-based private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSI), a novel class of immunotherapies. SSIs are designed to stimulate an innate immune response in targeted organs or tissues to reverse the chronic inflammation underlying many conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory lung disease and arthritis. SSIs are a broad platform technology being tested in multiple disease indications, including Health Canada approved clinical trials in lung cancer, Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis.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; and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, former CEO of the BC Cancer Agency and a distinguished clinician, scientist and leader in cancer control in Canada and internationally.
Contact:
Hal Gunn, MD
CEO
Qu Biologics Inc.
Phone: 604.734.1450
Email: media@qubiologics.com
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