Bio-Sourcing and Partners Launch €3.4M EU Project in Inflammatory Indications with €1.9M EUREKA Eurostars Subsidies

AB-BIOBETTER to pioneer development of new oral formulation of adalimumab for inflammatory bowel diseases; offering patients less invasive, less costly and potentially more potent treatment options

LIÈGE, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bio-Sourcing, developer of a unique, sustainable and profitable platform to produce new generation biotherapeutics, today announces the launch of a €3.4M ($3.7M) EU-funded program, including €1.9M EUREKA Eurostars subsidies.

The three-year AB-BIOBETTER project aims to develop an oral antibody treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as for other systemic immunology indications. Project partners include: Ciloa, a French preclinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the bioengineering of exosomes, and Intract Pharma, a UK developer of disruptive oral antibody delivery solutions.

AB-BIOBETTER was selected during the Eurostars call for projects. Co-financed by the national budgets of each partner’s state, via Innovate UK, the Public service of Wallonia and Bpifrance, as well as by the European Union, it aims to develop a daily pill-based version of adalimumab, an anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody. The goal is to offer a practical, less invasive and less expensive alternative to the subcutaneous injections currently used, with equal or even improved efficacy.

“We are delighted to work with Ciloa and Intract Pharma on this pioneering project. Combined with the intrinsic benefits of our technological platform, it will make these essential medicines even more accessible, especially for low- and middle- income countries which are currently deprived of them,” said Bertrand Merot, CEO and founder of Bio-Sourcing.

Bio-Sourcing's BioMilk platform enables the production of an adalimumab biobetter in industrial quantities, aimed at a cost ten times less than conventional monoclonal antibodies with better oral delivery properties. Ciloa brings expertise in extracellular vesicle bioengineering, which will enable accurate and effective oral administration of the drug. Intract Pharma will contribute with its precision gut delivery and antibody stabilization technologies, allowing for the oral delivery of biotherapeutics.

The three-year long project aims to preclinically validate the product and the platform, and to bring the product up to the IND-enabling studies stage.

About Bio-Sourcing
Bio-Sourcing is a biotechnology company that has developed a unique, sustainable and profitable platform to produce a new generation of biotherapeutics; in particular, monoclonal antibodies. Its technology platform is based on the production of biotherapeutics in goat milk using genome editing and nuclear transfer technologies.
www.bio-sourcing.com