Our Approach
Selective Bacterial Killing
SNIPR Biome is pioneering a novel use of CRISPR/Cas technology for microbial gene therapy. Our focus is on the development of novel, highly selective anti-bacterial drug candidates for use in difficult-to-treat conditions.
Our CRISPR-based technology can very precisely target specific “bad” bacteria in the gut without affecting the “good” bacteria of the resident microbiota.
This platform leverages two naturally derived technologies that originated in bacteria (bacteriophages for delivery, CRISPR/Cas for killing), both of which create an advantage in terms of selectively targeting specific bacterial species.
Gut-directed Gene Therapy
The microbiome is an important target for novel therapies. We use CRISPR in our engineered live bacteria which enables them to produce therapeutic molecules in situ with a high degree of control – effectively enabling gut-directed gene therapy.
SNIPR’s platform is analogous to viral gene therapy, with the major difference being that the delivery vehicle is an engineered bacteria and the target organ is the human gut.
Our CRISPR Technology
SNIPR Biome is pioneering the development of precision medicines for vulnerable patients with difficult-to-treat conditions using CRISPR technology for microbial gene therapy. We use our technology to selectively and precisely kill target bacteria, while leaving the rest of the microbial community intact and unharmed. SNIPR Biome utilizes the natural bacterial CRISPR-based adaptive immune system in a programmable way to kill target bacteria based on their specific genomes. Our drugs are next-generation antibiotics harbouring DNA-based CRISPR-Guided Vectors™ (CGV™ Technology) that cause double-stranded breaks in bacterial genomes and ultra-rapid killing in a matter of minutes, allowing rapid response in acute settings.
Therapeutic applications of our CRISPR editing technology
Therapeutic applications of our proprietary CRISPR editing technology include highly selective and programable bacterial killing as well as modification of the human microbiome via gene modification and the expression of therapeutic proteins or peptides.
The CRISPR based medicine can be given as an oral medicine, a topical medicine on the skin or in the lung as well as parenteral and intravenously
Our CRISPR platform is designed to be delivered by phage or bacterial conjugation to selectively kill disease-causing bacteria
Bacterial gene destruction can be employed by either phage delivery or by bacterial conjugation two precise and orthogonal delivery mechanisms that are selective for prokaryotic cells, thus providing a high degree of safety.
Precision bacterial killing is gene-specific and highly selective between sub-species of E. coli
Ultra-fast and very effective precision bacterial killing of human pathogens
By carefully designing the CGV™ targeting array it is possible to target effective killing of a subset of E. coli while sparing neighbouring E. coli and the surrounding microbiome
Our CRISPR platform is also designed to deliver therapeutic genes to commensal bacteria within the microbiome to enable in situ production & secretion of therapeutic proteins & peptides
Our CRISPR platform can deliver genes to the microbiome enabling in situ production of therapeutic proteins and peptides.
Proteins and peptides can comprise enzymes that target unwanted metabolites from the microbiome, including anti-cytokines to dampen autoimmune inflammation in IBD, immune-oncology active antibodies, active signaling molecules/hormones like GLP-2, GIP, serotonin etc.
Bacterial conjugation offers highly efficient delivery of a functional exogenous gene to bacteria in murine gut within 2 days after dosing
EC77 is a human strain with good murine gut colonization potential
Similar results obtained with several commercially available probiotic strains used as donor
Similar results obtained with full vs pre-treatment with streptomycin
