Focus on gut-health: Nestlé partners with Codexis to ameliorate GI disorders

13 Jan 2020 --- Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) and Codexis – a biotherapeutics developer – have signed an agreement to advance the development of CDX-7108, the lead candidate for the potential treatment of a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder called phenylketonuria. In 2017, the companies signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) for preclinical development and early clinical studies to co-discover new enzyme therapy candidates for NHSc’s nutritional therapies portfolio. The agreement led to the discovery of CDX-7108, which is an orally administered enzyme. The research will be extended through the end of 2021 to support the discovery of therapeutic candidates for additional disorders, NHSc notes.

NutritionInsight reached out to NHSc for further details, but due to the confidentiality of the project, the parties involved refrained from divulging the specifics. However, the collaboration so far has been successful and NHSc sees a “promising future working with Codexis.”

“Our new and extended agreements with Codexis are a demonstration of the progress of the biotherapeutic pipeline as a result of our partnership, building on the previously established clinical success with CDX-6114 targeting phenylketonuria,” notes Greg Behar, CEO of NHSc. “The CDX-7108 program is the first project performed under the SCA, and in less than two years from conceptualization, we have created an orally-administrable enzyme candidate that meets our target criteria for advancement.”

Under the development agreements, Codexis and NHSc will retain joint ownership over the rights to CDX-7108 as they move this therapeutic enzyme candidate into preclinical and clinical development.

“This partnership was initiated to leverage and extend the application of the CodeEvolver protein engineering platform and to create novel enzymes that will further fuel our biotherapeutics pipeline,” says John Nicols, Codexis’ President and CEO. “Two years into the collaboration, we are excited to advance our first candidate into formal preclinical development. In parallel, it is equally satisfying to see NHSc endorse the wider possibilities of creating value with our CodeEvolver technology by continuing our productive collaboration on other therapeutic concepts in this extended SCA chapter,” he explains.

Codexis and NHSc will retain joint ownership over the rights to CDX-7108 as they move the enzyme candidate into preclinical and clinical development.

Investing in microbiome research
Nestlé has had a prolific past year in both R&D and partnerships, especially in the microbiome space and personalized nutrition. The company partnered with the University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) to reinforce research into the microbiome’s impact on human health. The collaboration sought to accelerate the development of innovative nutritional solutions promoting health and wellbeing.

Moreover, Atrium Innovations, an NHSc company, recently acquired technology-based functional medicine platform LivingMatrix in a bid to further bolster its position in the personalized nutrition space. LivingMatrix is data and algorithm-driven and was designed by clinicians to help practitioners effectively evaluate and engage patients, create personalized, actionable care plans and track patient health outcomes.

In August, Atrium also acquired Persona, a personalized vitamin business founded in 2017. The strategic acquisition comes at a time of increasing consumer interest and business investment in personalized nutrition. Atrium says the acquisition will enhance the Persona experience by leveraging its nearly 30 years of industry expertise.

NHSc also entered into a strategic partnership with Amazentis, a pioneer in science-driven nutritional health, to develop its new cellular nutrient Urolithin A. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will also conduct a joint research program to expand applications of Urolithin A – a pioneering cellular nutrient that supports mitochondrial health – into new consumer health and medical areas.

By Kristiana Lalou