Enterome in deal with US pharma major on microbiome-derived biomarkers

French privately held biotech firm Enterome Bioscience has entered into an immuno-oncology focused collaboration agreement with a major US pharma company for the discovery and development of microbiome-derived biomarkers, drug targets and bioactive molecules to be developed as potential companion diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer.

Additionally, the collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) will seek to identify novel microbiome-derived biomarkers in an effort to improve clinical outcomes for patients treated with the US firm’s immuno-oncology portfolio.

The collaboration will combine Bristol-Myers Squibb's expertise in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapies with Enterome's proprietary metagenomic technology platform and leadership in the rapidly advancing science of the gut microbiome to support the discovery of novel immunotherapy agents and biomarkers. There is a growing body of scientific evidence to suggest that the gut microbiome plays an important role in modulating mechanisms of response and resistance to cancer immunotherapies. Changes in a host's immune system driven by the gut microbiome can be exploited to identify specific targets and bioactive compounds with the potential to augment anti-cancer immune responses.