Geneoscopy and Adiso Therapeutics have entered into a strategic collaboration to use Geneoscopy’s stool-based transcriptome platform in a Phase II clinical trial of Adiso’s experimental treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ADS051. ADS051 is an oral, gut-restricted, small molecule modulator of neutrophil trafficking and activation. Geneoscopy’s platform will be utilized to prospectively assess gene expression changes in stool samples from patients in the trial, with the aim of identifying likely treatment responders and providing a minimally invasive method to monitor for clinical remission.
The global Phase II trial for ADS051 is set to begin recruitment next year. Adiso plans to continue using Geneoscopy’s platform in future trials as part of a precision immunology approach. This approach involves using stool-derived eukaryotic RNA to assess mucosal healing and predict patient response to therapy.
Geneoscopy recently published results from its CRC-PREVENT trial, which assessed the company’s ColoSense stool-based colorectal cancer test. Following this, Exact Sciences filed a lawsuit against Geneoscopy, claiming that the ColoSense technology infringed upon patents covering its Cologuard assay. ColoSense, if commercialized, would be a major competitor to Cologuard.
Geneoscopy’s CEO, Andrew Barnell, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, highlighting the potential of their RNA biomarker platform to enhance IBD clinical trials. The platform is expected to aid in identifying patients likely to respond to ADS051 and determine therapeutic effectiveness through noninvasive measurement of RNA expression profiles, which signal mucosal healing in the colon.