Altis Biosystems Announces New Research Funding Initiative

Altis Biosystems, Inc., developer of RepliGut®, a technology platform that produces a layer of human intestinal stem or differentiated cells of either the small intestine or colon, announced today a Research Funding Initiative focused on one unifying purpose: To accelerate research into complex diseases and aid researchers in unlocking biological mysteries.

Most clinical-stage therapeutic programs are prematurely terminated prior to reaching approval for human use.

Drug safety risks are a common cause of clinical trial failures but are often not predicted in earlier nonclinical development, which reflects both a lack of human predictability by available in in vitro models and animal studies. There is a significant unmet need for human models for risk assessment that can be utilized for drug optimization in early development.

Historically, cell cytotoxicity assays are conducted using model cell lines that that are useful for characterizing non-specific drug toxicities at high doses. Intestinal off-target effects are the most common adverse events in Phase I clinical trials and often reflect biology specific to the GI tract, which are not represented in common cell lines

Altis’s RepliGut® Planar model is a unique in vitro model of the intestinal epithelium, which provides a critical barrier against luminal pathogens and is essential for efficient nutrient absorption. A damaged gut epithelium can lead to rampant negative systemic effects, so understanding the toxicity of compounds is essential prior to in vivo trials. The RepliGut® Planar model provides a physiologically-relevant, primary-cell derived intestinal epithelial monolayer that can be used to investigate cell health through a variety of established readouts, including assays focused on barrier function, cytokine secretion, and gene and protein expression.

“Altis’ RepliGut® can accurately model the cellular complexity and physiology of the intestines. Our goal is to provide unique cellular models capable of predicting clinical outcomes, which further improve nonclinical drug development by reducing time, cost, and the need for animal testing,” stated Bill Thelin, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer.

To introduce this patented, cutting-edge technology, Altis will offer a pilot project. This offer is open to all organizations, commercial and academic. Interested parties are encouraged to apply through the company’s website https://bit.ly/2WTPySl - applications will be accepted through October 3, 2022. If you would like to learn more about this novel technology register to view the company’s upcoming webinar “Assessing Drug-induced Gut Toxicity In Vitro” https://bit.ly/3Ai5y1B.

About Altis Biosystems
Altis Biosystems was founded to address the biopharmaceutical industry's intense need for more accurate drug screening methods using in vitro platforms, which can more closely replicate human biology. Altis developed its intestinal platform to be the next generation for in vitro testing during drug development, allowing scientists to develop safer and more effective drugs using normal human intestinal tissue, and reducing the time and cost of drug discovery.

For more information, visit www.altisbiosystems.com.