GSK and Eligo Bioscience Enter $224 Million Collaboration to Develop CRISPR-Based Microbiome-Targeted Therapy for Acne Vulgaris

Compiled | Hemingway

On January 11, Eligo Bioscience SA (Eligo) announced that it had entered into a research and selection agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop Eligobiotics^®For the treatment or prevention of acne vulgaris, and to develop a CRISPR-based, strain-specific microbiome-modulating therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Eligo will receive an upfront payment and research and development funding to advance its acne research project, EB005, through preclinical proof-of-concept. If GSK exercises its option, the parties will further enter into a license and collaboration agreement to jointly continue the development of the EB005 program. In such event, Eligo will be eligible for up to $224 million in licensing fees and potential milestone payments, as well as royalties on global sales.

The EB005 program is utilizing Eligo’s Eligobiotics.^®Technology to precisely modulate the composition of the skin microbiome for the treatment or reduction of moderate-to-severe acne. Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 85% of adolescents worldwide and significantly impacts patients' physical and mental health. Despite currently available solutions, there remains a need for new acne interventions that are well-tolerated and improve therapeutic outcomes; ideally, such novel treatments should also help reduce antibiotic use.

Based on Eligo’s research findings on acne, normally beneficial skin bacteria can trigger the immune system and induce inflammation when they express pro-inflammatory molecules. EB005 aims to develop topically applicable Eligobiotics.^®technology to precisely and selectively remove these pro-inflammatory bacterial strains from the microbiome while preserving the rest of the skin microbiome.

It is understood that Eligobiotics^®It is a versatile, proprietary approach that enables the design, construction, and optimization of targeted microbiome species through an automated proprietary platform, leveraging Eligo’s unique expertise in synthetic biology, phage biology, CRISPR-Cas engineering, and bioinformatics. It employs phage-derived particles to deliver RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas nucleases into bacterial populations within the microbiome. Inside the bacteria, the nucleases are directed to specific genomic sequences, inducing targeted lethal double-strand DNA breaks only when such sequences are present in the bacterial genome. By selectively eliminating strains harboring the nuclease-targeted genomic sequences, this strategy enables precise engineering of the microbiome.

If proven safe and effective in collaboration with GSK, this unique approach has the potential to transform acne treatment by specifically targeting one of its root causes. This early partnership between GSK and Eligo also demonstrates the significant potential of Eligo’s technology platform, which, now built upon GSK’s expertise in immunology, bacteriology, and product development, holds promise for improving the lives of patients with acne.

Eligo Bioscience was founded by scientists from Rockefeller University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with its core patented technology based on CRISPR-based antimicrobial agents. Leveraging venture capital funding from Khosla Ventures and Seventure Partners, as well as non-dilutive funding from the European Commission, CARB-X, and Bpifrance, Eligo is rapidly advancing its clinical research programs into clinical development, with the first clinical trials expected to commence in 2021.

Reference source: Eligo Bioscience inks deal with GSK potentially worth up to $224 million