OCTOBER - 202119TECH OUTLOOKOur approach for an orally administered transient pill that adheres to the gut is an innovative solution. It seeks to reproduce the effect of surgery (isolation of proximal bowel from nutrient exposure) without the need for an invasive procedure and its associated risksstudy published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that we are losing ground on glycemic control with worse average glucose control in patients over the past decade than before. While medical therapy of this disease has failed to demonstrate clinical progress, weight loss operations and gastric bypass surgery specifically have been shown to have potent anti-diabetic effects and, independent of their weight loss, can leads to significant and rapid resolution of diabetes. Surgery does not only improve diabetes but puts the disease to remission, with many patients coming off their medications completely. This is a paradigm-shifting observation that has pushed bariatric surgery to the forefront of diabetes management, with several randomized studies confirm its superiority to medical management. Unfortunately, surgery is complicated and has risks which have limited its uptake.AltrixBio is an innovative BioTech Startup that banks on this very idea while giving it a revolutionary spin! They aim to treat the "Treacherous Trifecta: Obesity, Diabetes, and Fatty Liver Disease" through an orally administered proprietary therapeutic, LuCITM AJN 003, which provides duodenal isolation of the proximal gut without entering the bloodstream. Founded in 2019, AltrixBio translates the vision of bioengineer Dr. Jeff Karp and bariatric surgeon and researcher Dr. Ali Tavakkoli of Brigham & Women's Hospital to develop a drug that is transient with a high safety profile capable of adhering to the proximal bowel to replicate the effect of gastric bypass surgery for T2D. This eventually paved the way for the development of LuCITM (AJN 003). To emulate the results of gastric bypass in a pill, Dr. Karp and Dr. Tavakoli joined hands with Nancy Briefs, a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded six prior companies and has extensive experience creating value, driving strategy, and launching products in the life sciences market. This joint venture eventually became AltrixBio as we know it today. "Our approach for an orally administered transient pill that adheres to the gut is an innovative solution. It seeks to reproduce the effect of surgery (isolation of proximal bowel from nutrient exposure) without the need for an invasive procedure and its associated risks," says Nancy Briefs, President, CEO, Co-Founder & BOD Member, AltrixBio. "In essence, when LuCITM is swallowed, it forms a paste that coats the upper tract of the gastrointestinal system to target the metabolic center.After initial results published in Nature Materials, the company has demonstrated preclinical enabling studies in chronic animal models, had a successful Pre-IND meeting for an expedited drug development pathway, and preparing for human studies in 2022. In preclinical chronic animal models, LuCITM has been shown to lower fasting glucose levels, mitigates insulin resistance and lowers HOMA-IR and reduces circulating incretins during fasting, and improves GLP-1 and GIP responses following a glucose challenge. Treatment also lowered the total serum cholesterol level, especially contributed by the lowered serum LDL levels. Augmenting their leadership is an exceptional team that includes biomaterials engineer Yuhan Lee PhD, an expert in formulations using safe biomaterials and GRAS materials for clinical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic uses. Backed by such a strong leadership team and a revolutionary product, AltrixBio aims to up the ante, tackling the growing T2D with the Obesity epidemic, once and for all. "Our vision is that LuCITM will prevent progression of T2D while allowing patients to reduce their insulin and T2D drugs." The company is not stopping at the therapeutic transformation. "LuCITM also has a second development pathway to act as a platform for delivery of drugs to the G.I. tract. The related data published in the Nature Material paper has led to interest from major pharmaceuticals to further explore the role of LuCITM for oral peptide, small molecule, and biologics delivery.
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