The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the US has granted ImmPrev Bio an exclusive licence for the underlying patent to commercialise a new diagnostic tool and early-stage Crohn’s disease treatment.

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease and the discoveries of the treatment were a result of the research carried out by ImmPrev Bio co-founder and chief scientific officer Dr Charles Elson and his laboratory at UAB.

The company is presently engaged in developing a concomitant metabolic checkpoint inhibition therapy for the disease.

Supported by preclinical proof-of-concept evidence, the company will initially target patients who are in remission from Crohn's disease through surgery or medication, along with those who have recently developed Crohn's and show an anti-flagellin response.

ImmPrev Bio has collaborated with Cascadia Drug Development Group to strengthen its commercialisation efforts.

The team is coordinating with other strategic partners to perform additional pre-clinical experiments for validating the lead compound and progressing towards studies that facilitate IND approval.

Dr Elson said: “We believe that our novel early-stage treatment model has the potential to enable better outcomes for Crohn’s patients, who can now be identified earlier and tracked and treated more effectively.

“We look forward to advancing this promising therapy for the patients who need it.”

First Avenue Ventures Life Science Fund I has recently spearheaded an investment round in ImmPrev Bio. The fund also aims to assist in the development of the business and commercialisation efforts.