Kanvas Biosciences has secured a new investment from the Gates Foundation to develop what it says will be the world’s first fully synthetic microbiome replacement product for maternal environmental enteric dysfunction.
Environmental enteric dysfunction, known as EED, is an intestinal condition commonly seen in low- and middle-income settings with poor sanitation. It causes intestinal inflammation, damage to the gut lining and “leaky” gut barriers, which can reduce nutrient absorption and contribute to undernutrition, stunted growth and impaired immune responses.
The condition is estimated to affect around 150 million children worldwide and is linked to poor maternal and infant health outcomes, including low infant birthweight and increased neonatal health risks.
Kanvas said the investment will support the development of a microbiome therapeutic designed to treat and prevent maternal EED, with the aim of improving health outcomes for both mothers and babies.
The company will use global metagenomic datasets and samples to identify and isolate microbial strains. Its spatial microbiome imaging platform will then be used to inform the design of complex, defined multi-strain consortia, which will be manufactured through its anaerobic production platform.
Kanvas said its proprietary AI drug discovery models will also be used to accelerate the development of live biotherapeutic products and support the creation of a safe, effective and affordable treatment suitable for clinical evaluation in relevant geographical contexts.
Matthew Cheng, co-founder and CEO of Kanvas Biosciences, said: “It’s an honor to produce a solution for EED, because this condition is the root cause of many individuals’ inability to absorb key nutrients in food, and ultimately impacts their ability to live long, healthy lives.
“By treating expectant mothers with our therapeutic, we have an opportunity to improve the microbiomes of both mothers and children at the same time. To provide treatment in such a large and impactful way is a rarity in medicine, and a privilege we don’t take lightly.”
The microbiome therapeutic is being designed to deliver high bacterial richness through complex consortia containing many unique members that can help restore microbiome health.
Kanvas said it will also prioritise strains native to affected regions, including the Gates Foundation’s priority geographies, to better match the microbiomes of local populations.
The company added that its manufacturing process is being developed with affordability and stability in mind, including a formulation suitable for low-resource settings and a range of climatic conditions.
Kanvas has previously advanced key clinical manufacturing steps for other microbiome drug candidates, including KAN-001, which is being developed to improve outcomes for cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, and KAN-004, which targets immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced colitis.
Founded on technology initially developed at Cornell University, Kanvas Biosciences is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, and is developing microbiome drug screening, discovery and manufacturing platforms for next-generation live biotherapeutics.