Synlogic Announces Nature Communications Publication Highlighting Use of Synthetic Biotic Platform to Optimize Therapies for Phenylketonuria
Synlogic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYBX) announced a publication in Nature Communications detailing the engineering advancements of SYNB1934, a synthetic biotic for treating phenylketonuria (PKU). The research highlights a two-fold increase in the activity of the phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) enzyme, achieved through a collaboration with Zymergen. SYNB1934 is currently in a Phase 2 study, with results expected in 2022. The findings reinforce the potential of Synlogic's synthetic biology platform to innovate therapies for metabolic disorders.
- SYNB1934 shows a two-fold increase in phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity compared to earlier versions.
- Positive results in the Phase 1 study align with preclinical findings, indicating strong translational capability.
- Synlogic's ongoing Phase 2 SynPheny-1 study could lead to significant advancements in PKU treatment.
- None.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Synlogic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYBX), a clinical stage company bringing the transformative potential of synthetic biology to medicine, today announced a publication in Nature Communications documenting the engineering of a more potent phenylalanine (Phe)-degrading investigational Synthetic Biotic™ medicine for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU).
The paper, "Improvement of a synthetic live bacterial therapeutic for phenylketonuria with biosensor-enabled enzyme engineering," illustrates how SYNB1934 was generated through whole cell optimization of the Phe-metabolizing enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). The process involved a combination of directed evolution and high throughput screening libraries of mutated PAL enzymes. Using this technology over 1 million PAL enzymes were screened and an optimized PAL enzyme was used to engineer SYNB1934. This work was performed through a collaboration between Synlogic and Zymergen. As reported in the paper, using established strain-specific biomarkers of Phe metabolism, in preclinical studies SYNB1934 has shown an approximately two-fold increase in PAL activity compared to SYNB1618, Synlogic's first generation strain for PKU. This two-fold increase in PAL activity has subsequently been confirmed in a Phase 1 study of healthy volunteers.
SYNB1934 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 2 SynPheny-1 study in adult patients with classical PKU, and results are expected in the first half of 2022.
"This research illustrates the capabilities of our team and platform to rapidly generate optimized strains of synthetic biotics for the potential treatment of PKU and other metabolic disorders," said David Hava, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Synlogic. "The SYNB1934 Phase 1 study produced data highly consistent with our preclinical findings, reinforcing the translational capability of the platform. We look forward to the upcoming results of our Phase 2 patient study of SYNB1934 and the advancement of our PKU program into late stage clinical development."
About Synlogic
Synlogic™ is bringing the transformative potential of synthetic biology to medicine. With a premier synthetic biology platform that leverages a reproducible, modular approach to microbial engineering, Synlogic designs Synthetic Biotic medicines that target validated underlying biology to treat disease in new ways. Synlogic's proprietary pipeline includes Synthetic Biotics for the treatment of metabolic disorders including Phenylketonuria (PKU) and Enteric Hyperoxaluria. The company is also building a portfolio of partner-able assets in immunology and oncology.
Forward-Looking Statements
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