Microbiome Drug Discovery
Human microbiome research is emerging in drug discovery, which mainly targets the mechanism of action derived from fundamental research on the intestinal flora and bacteria themselves. Pharmaceutical product development as small-molecule drugs and probiotic preparations are to be expected.
Normally, drug discovery is carried out by translational research aiming for practical use as a drug based on the results of scientific research. The first-in-human study has shown to be a costly and timely procedure, costing millions of dollars over a period of several years.
At Metagen Therapeutics (MGTx), we are working on a novel approach to microbiome drug discovery based on Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT). FMT-based drug discovery is based on ‘reverse translational research’ which focuses on the practical application of drugs, in order to proceed its development with a higher probability of safety and efficacy than usual. It aims to commercialize drugs by confirming in advance through clinical research using FMT and narrowing down the active ingredients (from different types of gut microbiota), increasing the overall success rate of microbiome drug development.
MGTx’s ‘FMT-based reverse translational drug discovery’ allows for the first-in-human trial to be implemented in the early stages of research and development, increasing the probability of success in clinical development and as a result, delivering drugs to patients in a faster and efficient manner.
Metagen Therapeutics is developing Japan’s first ‘intestinal microbiota bank’ for the social implementation of FMT and the research and development of microbiota drug discovery.
Pipeline
