Kintai Therapeutics Announces Collaborations with Leading Academic Centers to Identify Novel Targets for Cancer Therapeutics

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kintai Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering company, today announced that it has established new collaborations with leading academic institutions to identify novel molecules that play a fundamental role in microbe to human communication in different forms of cancer. The company has started to work with Moffitt Cancer Center, Rhode Island Hospital and the University of Cambridge, and is in collaboration discussions with additional cancer centers around the globe. Kintai is focused on metagenomics and metabolomics, analyzing patient samples through its multi-omics technology and proprietary machine learning algorithms to elucidate relationships between the gut microbiome and cancer. The company’s collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center includes a joint research initiative whereby the metabolomics data generated by Kintai will be used to examine associations between patient gut microbiome profiles and clinical response to cancer treatment. The research efforts have already resulted in the acquisition of a large number of patient samples from well-defined cohorts to be analyzed. Kintai will be leveraging these data, through the use of its Precision Enteric Medicine^TM (PEM^TM) discovery platform, to advance the company’s efforts in pioneering a new class of cancer therapies.

“There is strong evidence to suggest that the human microbiome through its integral role in immune response can impact cancer susceptibility and progression, as well as the clinical benefit derived from cancer therapeutics,” said Paul Peter Tak, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Kintai. “Our philosophy at Kintai is that medical breakthroughs are most likely to occur through a collation of leading minds across the biomedical ecosystem. We have attracted top talent to work at Kintai, and now we are augmenting our datasets by working with premier academic institutions. We are employing this collaboration strategy in several disease indications beyond cancer.”

Christine Pierce, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Moffitt Cancer Center added, “We are excited to be working with Kintai, who has demonstrated expertise and leadership in understanding the human microbiome, by leveraging cutting edge bioinformatics tools and integrated data analyses. Our objective in this collaboration is to gain a better understanding of the complex interplay between gut bacteria and cancer therapy, which is necessary to identify potential biomarkers of response to therapy and to develop new therapeutic approaches against cancer.”

About Kintai
Founded in 2016 by Flagship Labs, the innovation foundry of Flagship Pioneering, Kintai Therapeutics is uniquely focused on unlocking the power of the enteric signaling network and its signals throughout the body to fight disease and restore the health of patients. The company’s Precision Enteric Medicine™ (PEM™) discovery and therapeutic platform is based on a deep understanding of the interconnected biology of the microbiome, gut immune system, and enteric nervous system. Kintai has pioneered a new frontier in gut science, resulting in a unique understanding of a wealth of new genes, metabolites, and signaling molecules, leveraging these insights to rapidly translate into a highly actionable pipeline. The company’s expertise in chemistry, human biology, experimental medicine, and artificial intelligence represents a biology discovery and therapeutic development engine to rapidly identify and deliver new medicines. Kintai’s multidisciplinary approach has delivered a pipeline of 10+ programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, and immunology.

Based in Cambridge, Mass., Kintai believes that its core strengths lie in the hearts and minds of its talented employees who keep patients at the center of everything we do. To learn more, please visit the company’s website at www.kintaitx.com.