Neurobiomics: against Alzheimer's disease, a hidden remedy in the intestinal flora...
The result of a partnership between theInstitute of Functional Genomics (IGF) and theInstitut Pasteurthe Neurobiomics project is developing a promising drug extracted from intestinal microbiota, capable of having an impact on memory. This innovative project has benefited from the support and mobilization of the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI).
When two research teams combine their knowledge and experience, they create sparks. This is precisely what happened before the birth of the startup NBX Biosciences, boosted by the University Innovation Cluster, and now on the way to developing a promising drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Sylvie Claeysen, a researcher at the IGF, has been investigating the involvement of gut microbiota in the onset of Alzheimer's since 2014. Over the years, she has been studying the composition of the microbiota of patients, and in a study conducted in collaboration with the Centre Mémoire Ressources Research (CMRR) at Montpellier University Hospital, she has succeeded in analyzing the proteins and metabolites produced by the disease. "For depression and obesity, we already knew that the microbiota influenced the phenotype of its host. This time, we were able to establish a correlation between microbiota and cognition. Our studies also monitored the impact on food consumption and sleep patterns. And the samples collected from subjects suffering from Alzheimer's disease were used to test microbiota transplantation on mouse models", explains the researcher.
A protective effect on memory
At a conference organized in 2021, she met Damien Rei, a post-doctoral fellow at the time, who was working on the same theme for the Institut Pasteur. "As part of his "post-doc", he demonstrated that when you transfer the microbiota of elderly subjects to mice, you impact the animal's memory". So that year, the two researchers decided to move forward hand in hand as part of the Neurobiomics project.
Animal behavior plays a central role in their research. "It's very complicated to study memory on cells... We have to study it on animals, but our tests are non-invasive", explains Sylvie Claeysen. "Faced with two identical objects, the mouse explores and sniffs. Five minutes later, when we put it back in the presence of two objects, one of which is new, as it is curious, it spends more time in front of the unfamiliar one. And we repeat the test 24 hours later... If she explores both objects in the same way, it's because she can't remember them", continues the researcher, who also examines other complementary parameters, such as neuron activation or cerebral inflammation. For his part, Damien Rei is in charge of screening bacterial strains capable of having a protective effect on memory. Together, the duo are developing a promising drug candidate.
Analyze the bacteria
Currently, the two teams are carrying out tests on mini-intestines to measure its potential effect in humans. "This system enables us to use intestinal flora from healthy subjects or those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This enables us to analyze the bacterium, whose interest has already been patented, and its mechanism of action. This is the work we are currently carrying out", confides the researcher, whose ambition is to deepen our knowledge of the subject and go "beyond proof of concept".
Officially created in 2023, the company was named NBX Biosciences, and benefited from the "Companies and campus" program, which acted as a launching pad between the academic and socio-economic worlds. " This program enabled us to hire an engineer and gradually advance into the preclinical phase," adds Sylvie Claeysen.
In the meantime, the pair hopes to rapidly enter the pre-industrial phase, generating batches of bacteria that will act as probiotics, in a culture medium that they hope will have as little impact on the environment as possible. Matured in the lap of the Société d'accélération de transfert de technologies (Satt AxLR) and Montpellier's BIC (Business & Innovation Centre), NBX Biosciences was the very first winner of the Boost Invest MedVallée program in March 2024. In the coming weeks, it is also expected to apply for Bpifrance's i-Lab competition. And if all goes well, the researchers could start Phase 1 human clinical trials within a year or two...