Bloom Science Launches to Develop Neuroprotective Epilepsy Treatments in Orphan Indications with Exclusive Technology License from UCLA

SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloom Science, a biotechnology company accelerating the development of a new class of neuroprotective medicines, today announced that it has secured an exclusive technology license around preclinical research demonstrating that gut bacteria play a critical role in the anti-seizure effects of the ketogenic diet. The research was published today in the peer-reviewed journal Cell in an article titled "The gut microbiota mediates the anti-seizure effects of the ketogenic diet in mouse models of refractory epilepsy." On behalf of the Regents of the University of California, the UCLA Technology Development Group has filed a patent on the technology that mimics the ketogenic diet to provide seizure protection and has exclusively licensed it to Bloom Science, which will explore potential clinical applications.

The ketogenic diet, developed in the 1920s to treat epilepsy, has been proven to manage seizures in rare types of epilepsy and in patients who don't respond to other forms of treatment, but compliance with the low-carb/high-fat diet is extremely challenging. New technologies to interrogate the relationship between the gut microbiome and the brain now explain why it works.

Senior author of the Cell publication, Elaine Hsiao, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology in the Life Sciences Division of the UCLA College, and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, led the research that showed in two preclinical mouse models that the ketogenic diet increases the abundance of certain gut bacteria, and those specific strains of bacteria are both necessary and sufficient to confer seizure protection. The bacteria work together to regulate circulating metabolites that fuel neurotransmitters in the brain – specifically gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that is responsible for counterbalancing the excitation of neurons by glutamate. Bloom Science is developing proprietary products from these microbes that aim to modulate GABA, thereby re-establishing the delicate balance of GABA and glutamate and delivering a neuroprotective effect for patients with epilepsy.

"Despite the introduction of 20 new anti-epilepsy drugs in recent decades, a third of patients with epilepsy never achieve seizure control, and half of those who respond to treatment report negative side effects that limit compliance and negatively impact their quality of life," said Anthony Colasin, CEO of Bloom Science. "New and better approaches to managing epilepsy are urgently needed. At Bloom we are addressing that need by hacking the ketogenic diet to identify microbes with therapeutic potential, and then leveraging a unique business model to develop those microbes as neuroprotective therapies for orphan epilepsy indications in an accelerated time frame."

More than 65 million people globally have epilepsy. Uncontrolled epilepsy can lead to poor outcomes for patients, including problems with memory and cognition, depression, anxiety or development issues, as well as risk of sudden death.

"The human body is comprised of trillions of resident microbes that are important for normal biology, including brain health," said Dr. Hsiao, a co-founder of Bloom Science. "This discovery has the potential to impact the many conditions that are associated with alterations in GABA and shown to be modified by the ketogenic diet, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, autism, anxiety and schizophrenia."

Chris Reyes, Ph.D., Bloom's chief scientific officer, who co-founded the company with Dr. Hsiao and Mr. Colasin added, "The ketogenic diet provides a clear roadmap for the orphan epilepsy syndromes that we will pursue. Our hope is to deliver safe, well-tolerated neuroprotective treatment approaches to patients who otherwise have few options for controlling their seizures."

Bloom Science has closed a seed round with industry insiders to initiate operations and has plans for R&D activities up through filing an investigational new drug (IND) application for its live biotherapeutic product (LBP) with the U.S. FDA. In parallel with its therapeutic development activities, Bloom is also developing a medical food that leverages GRAS (generally regarded as safe) designation to establish safety, enabling the company to transition directly into a proof-of-concept trial in patients.

About Bloom Science
Bloom Science is a biotechnology company creating a new class of neuroprotective medicines that seek to replicate the benefits of the ketogenic diet to improve quality of life for people with epilepsy and other neurological conditions.

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SOURCE Bloom Science, Inc.