NEW YORK — Microbiome research firm Persephone Biosciences said on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to use patient samples from a Janssen Biotech clinical trial for biomarker discovery.
Under the terms of the deal, Persephone will have access to stool samples obtained using its proprietary collection kit from patients participating in an undisclosed Janssen cancer clinical trial. Persephone will analyze the samples and have the exclusive right to license any biomarkers discovered.
Additional terms were not disclosed.
"We are excited for this collaboration as it will provide us with an opportunity not only to further our understanding of the microbiome's role in disease, but also to build upon the growing body of evidence highlighting the microbiome's role in influencing patient treatment outcomes," Persephone cofounder and CEO Stephanie Culler said in a statement.
San Diego-based Persephone is developing precision immunotherapeutics using microbiome and other medical data from stool and blood samples collected from healthy individuals and cancer patients. Its technology platform is based on population-scale, observational clinical trials in conjunction with advanced multiomics analyses and machine learning.
Earlier this year, the company launched a clinical study examining the impact of the gut microbiome on immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination.
Persephone's labs are housed within Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.