Synedgen Awarded Funding to Advance Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatments

Synedgen, a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system, today announced the award of a competitive Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) contract. Administered through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), this award enables Synedgen to optimize therapeutic treatments that restore innate gastrointestinal (GI) integrity damaged by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Synedgen plans to use the $259k grant to complete preclinical efficacy studies for several formulations of its proprietary glycopolymer pharmaceuticals to reduce GI inflammation, leaky bowl syndrome, and ulcerative damage in a model of ulcerative colitis (UC).

"This award enables Synedgen to further expand its growing portfolio of glycopolymer therapeutics designed to treat damage to, and inflammatory conditions of, mucosal surfaces like the GI tract," said Shenda Baker, CEO and President of Synedgen. "Our surface-active glycopolymers have broad mechanisms of action and have been shown to reduce inflammation and tissue damage in animal models of IBD and radiation injury. The studies planned under this award are designed to optimize the drug molecular structure and dosing prior to clinical development. We would like to formally express our gratitude to USAMRAA for this grant."

Synedgen has developed several derivatives of its proprietary high molecular weight glycol-polymer therapeutics that reduce inflammation, improve healing and restore integrity along the length of the GI tract. Synedgen's orally delivered GI treatments have demonstrated a robust ability to reduce local and systemic inflammation, lessen cell death, and improve tissue regeneration associated with chemical, physical and radiation-induced damage in the large and small intestines in animal models that mimic conditions seen in human UC and Crohn's disease.

About IBD

IBD generally describes disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Types of IBD include UC, which causes long-lasting inflammation and sores (ulcers) in the innermost lining of the large intestine and rectum, and Crohn's disease, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. Both UC and Crohn's disease usually involve severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. Although they are separate conditions, they share common features of intestinal inflammation and ulceration and significant reduction in quality of life for IBD patients. In a healthy gut, the GI microenvironment can auto-regulate and maintain a stable state with the normal bacterial flora and support an intact gut barrier. The intestine normally controls permeability, allowing nutrients to pass through while also maintaining a barrier function to keep potentially harmful substances and bacteria from migrating more widely into the body. In a damaged or inflamed gut, such as in patients with IBD, dysfunction of the mucosal barrier allows penetration of both "good" and "bad" microbes onto and through the intestinal cell wall and into circulation which can lead to severe systemic complications.

About the Award

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 839 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH-19-1-0165. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense. In conducting research using animals, the investigators adhere to the laws of the United States and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.

About Synedgen

Synedgen is a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system. The company's lead development candidate is SYGN305, for GI Mucositis, where a large unmet need exists to prevent intestinal radiation injury, the single most important dose-limiting factor in cancer therapy. Synedgen's glycochemistry platform has already generated five FDA 510(k) cleared therapeutics, one OTC drug, one veterinary indexed drug, and an out-licensed Phase 2 program, to Synspira, for the potential treatment of pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis. Synedgen has research and manufacturing facilities in Claremont, California. For more information please visit www.synedgen.com.