4D Announces Publication of Data Showing Potential of Single Bacterial Strains From the Human Gut Microbiota to Serve as Novel HDAC Inhibitors

LEEDS, United Kingdom, July 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4D pharma plc (AIM:DDDD), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of live biotherapeutics, today announces the publication of data showing that specific single bacterial strains from the human gut microbiota have the potential to serve as therapeutic inhibitors of the human enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC), which is particularly relevant for disease areas involving host epigenetic aberrations.

The paper, titled “Human gut bacteria as potent class I histone deacetylase inhibitors in vitro through production of butyric acid and valeric acid” (Yuille S., et al) is published in PLOS ONE, the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal.

Overexpression of isoforms of HDAC has been implicated in a variety of diseases, including cancer, colitis, cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration.  HDAC inhibitors have a long history as therapeutic targets and the gut microbiota is known to have an influence on HDAC activity via microbial-derived metabolites.  In this study, researchers used an in vitro approach to screen the 4D bacterial library to identify strains which inhibit different HDAC isoforms.  One identified strain, MRx0029, was added to a model microbial consortium to assess its metabolic activity in interaction with a complex bacterial community.  They found that MRx0029 successfully established in the consortium and enhanced the total and specific HDAC inhibitory function by increasing the capacity of the community to produce butyrate and valeric acid.

Dr. Alex Stevenson, 4D's Chief Scientific Officer, commented: “This work shows that microbiome-derived live biotherapeutics can inhibit specific HDAC activity via previously unknown mechanisms.  This could lead to new live biotherapeutic therapies targeting this class of enzymes for conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and inflammatory pathologies. Moreover, in developing a model microbiome consortium, we have further demonstrated the ability of single-strain live biotherapeutics to induce community-wide functional changes in the microbiome and impact disease-relevant host signaling pathways.”

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About 4D
Founded in February 2014, 4D is a world leader in the development of live biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs, defined by the FDA as biological products that contain a live organism, such as a bacteria, that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease.  4D has developed a proprietary platform that rationally identifies novel bacteria that have a precise and evolved therapeutic effect.  All of 4D's live biotherapeutic products are orally delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut.  4D has completed a phase I study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and has completed dosing in a phase I study in Paediatric Crohn's Disease.  It currently has a pipeline of 13 pre-clinical programmes, covering disease areas such as cancer, poorly controlled asthma, autoimmune and CNS disease, and plans to commence four additional clinical studies in 2018.  For more information, refer to https://www.4dpharmaplc.com/.