Thetis Pharmaceuticals Receives Funding from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to Support Investigational Mucosal Healing Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s IBD Ventures award supports development of Thetis’ novel first-in-class Resolvin oral therapy (TP-317) for treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

BRANFORD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / November 19, 2019 / Thetis Pharmaceuticals (“Thetis”), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for gastrointestinal diseases, today announced receipt of funding from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s IBD Ventures program to support development of TP-317, a first-in-class, oral therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The active agent in TP-317 is Resolvin E1, an endogenous immuno-resolvent first discovered by Dr. Charles Serhan, Gelman Professor of Anesthesiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard University and Director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics & Reperfusion Injury at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Caren Heller, MD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, commented, “The Foundation is committed to funding cutting-edge medical research in IBD. TP-317 represents a promising new therapeutic approach with the potential to address a significant unmet need for safe, oral therapy for patients living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We are excited to partner with Thetis as they advance their Resolvin-based therapy into clinical investigation.”

“Resolvin E1 is a potent bioactive lipid mediator produced locally in inflamed tissue to orchestrate resolution of inflammation, reduction of pain and tissue repair following initiation of an acute inflammatory response,” stated Dr. Serhan, a scientific advisor to Thetis. “In chronic inflammatory diseases such as IBD, defective resolution leads to unresolved inflammation, tissue damage, and pain. Novel therapeutic approaches leveraging the pharmacology of Resolvins offer a unique, non-immunosuppressive approach to treating IBD by activating intrinsic resolution mechanisms in the body.”

Dr. Joshua Korzenik, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, commented, “In contrast to anti-inflammatory drugs that treat IBD by suppressing the immune system, Resolvin-based therapies act directly on inflammation resolution and tissue repair pathways to promote mucosal healing, a key focus in IBD therapy.” A clinical advisor to Thetis, Dr. Korzenik stated, “Based on its unique mechanism of action, TP-317 has the potential to address a critical unmet need within the IBD treatment paradigm for a safe, oral, first-line therapy for Crohn’s disease and for ulcerative patients that are not well controlled on mesalamine before escalation to biologics.”

“We very much appreciate the support of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and their confidence in our team and the promise of our Resolvin-based therapy as a novel approach to treatment of IBD,” stated Gary Mathias, CEO of Thetis.

About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is estimated to affect 3 million people in the United States, with as many as 70,000 new cases diagnosed each year. While the causes of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are not entirely understood, both are associated with chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, with symptoms that include abdominal pain, increased stool frequency, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and fatigue. Currently available medications alleviate inflammation and reduce symptoms, but do not provide a cure or prevent long-term complications, and some have severe adverse effects, including increased risk of infection and malignancy. Thus, there continues to be a high unmet medical need for additional oral agents that are safe and effective for the induction and maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

About The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is the leading non-profit organization focused on both research and patient support for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Foundation’s mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life for the more than 3 million Americans living with IBD. Our work is dramatically accelerating the research process through our database and investment initiatives; we also provide extensive educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public. For more information, visit www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org, call 888-694-8872, or email info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org.

About Thetis Pharmaceuticals

Thetis is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. Thetis’ proprietary HEALER™ technology platform enables the pharmaceutical development of bioactive lipids, including Resolvins and other fatty acids, that actively regulate inflammation resolution and tissue repair. Thetis’ HEALER™ technology overcomes the stability, manufacturing, formulation and patentability hurdles that have limited the development of bioactive lipids as pharmaceutical agents, unlocking their robust pharmacology to be developed as first-in-class drugs.

For more information, please visit Thetis Pharmaceuticals’ website (www.thetispharma.com) and follow Thetis on Twitter (@thetispharma).

Contact Information:
Aaron Mathias
Director of Business Development
amathias@thetispharma.com

SOURCE: Thetis Pharmaceuticals LLC

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