SNIPR BIOME ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark
www.sniprbiome.com

SNIPR001
CRISPR-ENGINEERED PRECISION PREVENTATIVE
Escherichia coli (E. coli) in cancer patients

SNIPR BIOME is developing a new precision therapy that would target E. coli bacteria in cancer patients with hematological malignancies, without harming beneficial bacteria in the microbiome. SNIPR’s new lead candidate drug, SNIPR001, aims to prevent of E. coli infections. Cancer patients with hematological malignancies, which are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes, are at increased risk of bloodstream infections due both to the disease and to chemotherapy treatment, with the pathogen E. coli posing a heightened risk. The company is pioneering a novel use of CRISPR/Cas technology to selectively eradicate target bacteria based on specific DNA sequence signatures in the bacterial genome, while leaving the rest of the patient’s microbiome intact. SNIPR001 would target only E. coli bacteria in the gut, preventing the translocation of the bacteria to the bloodstream and sparing the beneficial bacteria in the patient’s microbiome. This precision approach to killing harmful bacteria could transform the way E. coli infections are prevented and treated. Today, cancer patients are often pre-emptively given broad-spectrum antibiotics designed to kill bacteria indiscriminately.

Current Development Stage: Phase 1

CARB-X Investment: Initial investment of up to $3.9 million with potential option payments up to $6.3m

Initial CARB-X Investment Date: March 1, 2021