Tag Archives: Microbiota

Austrianova and San Raffaele University & Research Hospital initiate a Joint Development Programme to prevent the progression of multiple myeloma

SINGAPORE, 19-May-2023 — /EPR BIOTECH NEWS/ — Multiple myeloma is an incurable neoplasia of plasma cells causing anaemia, hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, and bone lesions. This is due to malignant plasma cells accumulating in bone marrow â€” the soft, spongy tissue at the centre of bones — crowding out the normal plasma cells that help fight infection. Multiple myeloma usually presents at an potentially curable, asymptomatic stage (also known as smouldering/indolent). However, around 50% of patients go on to develop symptomatic disease and need treatment within 5 years of initial diagnosis. The gut microbiota modulates progression from smouldering disease to full-blown multiple myeloma, and several clinical and preclinical studies have also highlighted the role of the gut microbiota in patients’ response to current therapies (Brevi et al 2022). In 2022, there were 34,470 new cases of multiple myeloma and 12,640 deaths in the USA alone.

Austrianova and San Raffaele University & Research Hospital, Milan, Italy have just announced the initiation of a Joint Development Programme with the aim of creating a treatment to prevent the progression of multiple myeloma to full blown disease by manipulating the microbiome.

The group of Dr. Matteo Bellone, leader of Cellular immunology Unit at San Raffaele University & Research Hospital, has shown that Prevotella melaninogenica, a commensal bacterium of the human gastrointestinal microbiota, can protect against the progression of relatively benign asymptomatic multiple myeloma to the aggressive form of the disease. Delivery of Prevotella melaninogenica in preclinical animal models prevents this progression (Calcinotto et al., 2018) but large doses of the bacteria are needed since they must survive passage through the strongly acidic environment of the stomach. Austrianova, an Asian biotech company operating in Singapore and Thailand, has developed its unique, patented Bac-in-a-Box® technology specifically to efficiently protect bacteria from stomach acid as well as to allow storage at room temperature without appreciable loss of viability (Gunzburg et al., 2020).

This collaboration builds on San Raffaele Hospital’s dedication to technology transfer, the process of partnering with industry to successfully translate research results into medical benefits.

Dr. Bellone said: “Most patients affected by smouldering myeloma live in anxiety because they know the disease may easily evolve into an untreatable phase, but they are offered no preventive cure. It is unexpected that a treatment as simple as taking a probiotic positively impacts disease progression in animal models and might indeed help these patients. We are eager to test Austrianova technology in our models. This will be the first step to the clinic.”

Prof. Walter H. Gunzburg, Chairman of Austrianova, stated: “The Austrianova team is excited to be working with our colleagues at San Raffaele hospital to progress this strategy for hampering the full progression of this devastating blood cancer. Our Bac-in-a-Box® technology is ideally suited to efficiently store and deliver bacteria to the gastric tract and we look forward to applying it to the delivery of Prevotella melaninogenica to hopefully prevent progression of multiple myeloma in patients.”

References

Brevi A, Cogrossi LL, Lorenzoni M, Mattorre B, Bellone M. The Insider: Impact of the Gut Microbiota on Cancer Immunity and Response to Therapies in Multiple Myeloma. Front Immunol 2022;13:845422.

Calcinotto A, Brevi A, Chesi M, Ferrarese R, Garcia Perez L, Grioni M, et al. Microbiota-driven interleukin-17-producing cells and eosinophils synergize to accelerate multiple myeloma progression. Nat Commun 2018;9:4832.

Walter H GunzburgMyo Myint AungPauline ToaShirelle NgEliot ReadWee Jin TanEva Maria BrandtnerJohn DangerfieldBrian Salmons. Efficient protection of microorganisms for delivery to the intestinal tract by cellulose sulphate encapsulation. Microbial Cell Fact. 2020 Nov 26;19:216. doi: 10.1186/s12934-020-01465-3.

About Austrianova

Austrianova, part of the SG Austria Group, is a biotech company with a global footprint and headquarters in Singapore. Austrianova utilizes a novel and proprietary technology for the encapsulation of living mammalian (Cell-in-a-Box®) and bacterial (Bac-in-a-Box®) cells. Cell-in-a-Box® protects the encapsulated cells from rejection by the immune system, allows cells to be easily transported, stored and implanted at specific sites in patients. The technology, which has been proven safe and efficacious in clinical trials carried out in Europe, allows companies to develop any kind of cells as a one-for-all living pharmaceutical. Bac-in-a-Box® is a similar protective device adapted for encapsulation of probiotic bacteria where it has human food and animal feed applications due to its ability to extend storage under lyophilized conditions and to protect encapsulated bacteria against destruction by stomach acid. Austrianova now also offers GMP4Cells that includes competitively priced Master Cell Bank and Working Cell Bank production as well as “Fill and Finish” services for cell therapy products (such as stem cell therapies, biologics produced from cells e.g. vaccines, antibodies, recombinant proteins etc).

About San Raffaele University and Research Hospital

Ospedale San Raffaele is a clinical-research-university hospital established in 1971 to provide international-level specialised care for the most complex and difficult health conditions. OSR is part of Gruppo San Donato, the leading hospital group in Italy. The hospital is a multi-specialty center with over 60 clinical specialties; it is accredited by the Italian National Health System to provide care to both public and private, national and international patients. Research at OSR focuses on integrating basic, translational and clinical activities to provide the most advanced care to our patients. The institute is recognized as a global authority in molecular medicine and gene therapy and is at the forefront of research in many other fields. Ospedale San Raffaele is a first-class institute which treats many diseases and stands out for the deep interaction between clinical and scientific area. This makes the transfer of scientific results from the laboratories to the patient’s bed easier. Its mission is to improve knowledge of diseases, identify new therapies and encourage young scientists and doctor to grow professionally.

Austrianova Secures Significant Investment from Real Tech Fund

 

SINGAPORE, 2021-Jul-7 — /EPR BIOTECH NEWS/ — Austrianova (the SG Austria group, Austrianova Singapore and Austrianova Thailand) is pleased and honoured to announce that, after extensive due diligence, Real Tech Fund (managed by Real Tech Holdings, Japan) has invested an undisclosed seven figure amount in Austrianova via its Real Tech Global Fund 1 to accelerate Austrianova’s growth. Real Tech Fund is a venture capital firm that invests specifically in innovative deep-technology startups mainly in Japan and Southeast Asia. Austrianova was assisted in this transaction by Square Associates. The financing from Real Tech coincides with, as well as bolsters, the Company’s next stage of growth in production capacity in order to satisfy the strong demand witnessed across the wide variety of applications that its unique protective cell encapsulation technology addresses. It also enhances and facilitates Austrianova’s entry into the Japanese market and specifically partnerships with clients benefiting from Austrianova’s Cell-ina-Box® and Bac-in-a-Box® technologies.

“We are pleased that Real Tech has decided to invest in Austrianova as well as that they are convinced of the value of the Cell-in-a-Box® and Bac-in-a-Box® technologies for solving serious problems faced by the planet and by humanity” stated Walter H Gunzburg, Chairman of Austrianova. “Real Tech already has proven to be a valued partner as well as a significant investor in Austrianova and we look forward to working closely together in the future” added Brian Salmons, CEO of Austrianova.

 

About Austrianova
Austrianova (the SG Austria Group), is a biotech company with a global footprint and operations in Singapore and Thailand. Austrianova utilizes a novel and proprietary technology for the encapsulation of living mammalian (Cell-in-a-Box®) and bacterial (Bac-in-a-Box®) cells. Cell-in-a-Box® protects the encapsulated cells from rejection by the immune system, allows cells to be easily transported, stored and implanted at specific sites in patients. The
technology, which has been proven safe and efficacious in clinical trials carried out in Europe, allows companies to develop any kind of cells as a one-for-all living pharmaceutical. Bac-in-a-Box® is a similar protective device adapted for encapsulation of probiotic bacteria where it has human food and animal feed applications as well as rebalancing the microbiome due to its ability to extend storage under lyophilized conditions and to protect encapsulated bacteria against destruction by stomach acid. Austrianova now also offers GMP4Cells that includes competitively priced Master Cell Bank and Working Cell Bank production as well as “Fill and Finish” services for cell therapy products (such as stem cell therapies, biologics produced from cells e.g. vaccines, antibodies, enzymes, recombinant proteins, exosomes etc).

About Real Tech
Real Tech Holdings / Real Tech Fund is a joint venture fund between euglena Co.,Ltd and Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.  It supports change makers who give their heart and soul to solve societal and environmental challenges. Real Tech Holding’s manages Real Tech Fund, Japan’s leading deep-tech focused venture capital fund.
For more information: https://www.realtech.holdings

Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Austrianova (the Company) and its respective businesses. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of each entity. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release, including completion of the public offering, may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company, including risks affecting the Company, economic factors and the equity markets generally. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Austrianova undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. This is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities.

Financial Information Contact: pierre.faddoul@square-associates.com
Company and Technology Contact: salmons@sgaustria.com
For more information: http://www.austrianova.com

SOURCE Austrianova

Complete protection of probiotics from destruction by stomach acid using Bac-in-a-Box technology

SINGAPORE, 2020-Nov-30 — /EPR BIOTECH NEWS/ — Austrianova announced today that a key publication on the ability of its patented technology, Bac-in-a-Box®, to completely protect probiotics from acidic conditions found in the stomach has been published in the well respected journal “Microbial Cell Factories”
https://rdcu.be/cbn0O.

Stomach acid is nature’s way of ensuring that any microbes in food are killed before they reach the intestines. In the same way, stomach acid is also a formidable barrier to the delivery of beneficial bacteria and yeast such as probiotics to the gut, necessitating the current million times “overdosing” of such bacteria. Even then, only a tiny fraction of probiotics survive transit through the stomach. The currently available protections and coatings are only partially effective and still result in the loss of millions of bacteria and the search is still on for novel protective agents and technologies to improve on this.

The stringently reviewed data presented in Austrianova’s Microbial Cell Factories paper show that Bac-in-a-Box® protects living micro-organisms (including probiotics) from stomach acid and bile, enabling them to reach the intestine in a viable state, thereby resulting in a greater beneficial effect. It also allows the use of ten thousand times lower doses, contributing to cost effectivity. Thus, Bac-in-a-Box® is ideal for enhanced and effective delivery of probiotics as well as of oral living vaccines, and it can even be used for microbial fecal transplantation (FMT or bacteriotherapy) where it provides a more patient friendly and acceptable means of delivering stool microbiota.

Brian Salmons, CEO of Austrianova, said “We are pleased that our publication on acid protection of encapsulated microbes has been published in Microbial Cell Factories, an open access, peer-reviewed journal, published by Springer Nature, that is the world leading, primary research journal fully focusing on Applied Microbiology.”

Elaborating on the significance of the paper, Prof. Walter H. Gunzburg said “The gut microbiota in humans and animals plays a key role in health by aiding digestion as well as regulating the immune system and protecting against disease causing pathogens. In recent years, changes or imbalances in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) have been linked to many diseases as disparate as irritable bowel syndrome, dementia and diabetes, and evidence is
growing that restoring the balance of the microbiota by delivery of probiotic microorganisms can improve health. Orally delivered micro-organisms must survive transit through lethal, highly acid conditions in the stomach and current methods to protect probiotic microorganisms are still not effective enough. This paper reports that Austrianova’s proprietary encapsulation technology, Bac-in-a-Box®, protects members of the microbiota from stomach acid and bile. A number of probiotic strains were shown to survive low pH in vitro for at least 4 hours without appreciable loss in viability as compared to their respective non-encapsulated counterparts. Moreover, animal studies reveals that once the capsules arrive in the intestine (the site where they are needed to have beneficial effects), the probiotics are released and colonize the intestinal tract. Thus, Bac-in-a-Box® protects bacteria and yeasts from viability losses due to stomach acid, allowing the use of lower oral doses of probiotics and microbiota, whilst ensuring good intestinal delivery and release.”

About Austrianova
Austrianova, part of the SG Austria Group, is a biotech company with a global footprint and headquarters in Singapore. Austrianova utilizes a novel and proprietary technology for the encapsulation of living mammalian (Cell-in-a-Box®) and bacterial (Bac-in-a-Box®) cells. Cell-in-a-Box® protects the encapsulated cells from rejection by the immune system, allows cells to be easily transported, stored and implanted at specific sites in patients. The technology, which has been proven safe and efficacious in clinical trials carried out in Europe, allows companies to develop any kind of cells as a one-for-all living pharmaceutical. Bac-in-a-Box® is a similar protective device adapted for encapsulation of probiotic bacteria where it has human food and animal feed applications due to its ability to extend storage under lyophilized conditions and to protect encapsulated bacteria against destruction by stomach acid. Austrianova now also offers GMP4Cells that includes competitively priced Master Cell Bank and Working Cell Bank production as well as “Fill and Finish” services for cell therapy products (such as stem cell therapies, biologics produced from cells e.g. vaccines, antibodies, recombinant proteins etc).

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