Synlogic unveils AbbVie deal in IBD

Synthetic biology company Synlogic Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.) revealed Wednesday that AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) is its partner in a deal to develop engineered bacteria as an oral therapeutic for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). The biotech had told BioCentury in October that it had partnered its IBD program with an undisclosed pharma.

Synlogic engineers the probiotic gut bacterium Escherichia coli Nissle to express multiple bioconversion enzymes that process a toxic metabolite into a benign or beneficial byproduct. The company calls the engineered bacteria synthetic biotics (see BioCentury, Oct. 26, 2015). ...