Second Genome Appoints Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer
Second Genome, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on the development of novel therapeutics identified through microbiome science, today announced the appointment of Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., as president, chief executive officer, and a member of the company's board of directors. Dr. Dabbagh has served as the company's chief scientific officer since 2014 and replaces Glenn Nedwin, Ph.D., who retired from Second Genome.
"Karim is the perfect executive to take the helm at Second Genome at this next stage of growth," said Corey Goodman, Ph.D., chairman of the board of directors and co-founder of Second Genome. "From being absolutely instrumental in building a robust and integrated drug discovery platform that has generated a deep pipeline of novel therapeutic compounds, to his expertise in advancing robust R&D pipelines, he has the right blend of experience to advance programs through clinical studies."
4D Announces Positive Data From Ph Ib Study of Thetanix in Paediatric Crohn's Diseases Patients
4D pharma plc (AIM: DDDD), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of live biotherapeutics, today announces positive top-line results for its Phase 1b study of Thetanix in paediatric patients with Crohn’s disease. The study achieved its primary objective, demonstrating that Thetanix was well tolerated with a good safety profile.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in two parts, with a single-dose phase and a multiple-dose phase and treated a total of 18 subjects aged 16-18 with Crohn’s disease. In the single-dose phase, eight subjects were given a single dose of either Thetanix or placebo. In the multiple-dose phase, 10 subjects were given either Thetanix or placebo twice daily for seven consecutive days.
The Company also announces the publication of data demonstrating the efficacy of Thetanix in pre-clinical models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The data, published in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, showed that Thetanix demonstrated strong efficacy on the primary readouts in two different preclinical models with relevance to Crohn’s disease, protecting against weight loss, preventing histopathological changes in the colon and attenuating inflammatory mediators.
Thetanix is a single-strain human gut commensal bacteria which has an anti-inflammatory mechanism and is under investigation for the treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease. Thetanix specifically targets the lower bowel – the region of most severe disease in children.
Researchers Find That Common Weedkiller Affects Bees' Microbiome
One of the most widely used weedkillers in the United States might be indirectly causing the rapid decline of honeybee population.
Researchers from the University of Texas found that glyphosate, an active ingredient of the popular weedkiller brand Roundup, might be contributing to the widespread deaths of honeybees and native bees around the world.
The researchers found that honeybees exposed to glyphosate had significantly reduced healthy gut microbiota.
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