NEW YORK – BiomX of Israel said on Wednesday that it is collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover biomarkers associated with patient phenotypes in inflammatory bowel disease.
Under the agreement, BiomX will generate metagenomic data for gut microbiome samples from IBD patients using its XMarker biomarker discovery platform.
"Our XMarker analysis platform is a unique, efficient, and ultra-high-resolution tool for identifying patterns in bacterial DNA relevant for target and biomarker discovery," said BiomX CEO Jonathan Solomon in a statement. He added that it can be applied in other disease areas, such as liver disease and cancer, where microbiome composition plays a role.
Boehringer Ingelheim has an option to negotiate exclusive rights to biomarkers discovered using BiomX's platform.
Financial and other terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
BiomX, based in Ness Ziona, Israel, develops customized phage therapies to target and destroy harmful bacteria in chronic diseases such as IBD, colorectal cancer, and skin disorders.
Three years ago, the firm raised $24 million in a Series A funding round.