Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an incurable and chronic condition that causes severe inflammation in the gut, leading to pain, digestive problems, and serious complications. IBD is also an important risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). IBD comprises diseases that are characterized by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD). These pathologies are recognised for their important impact on patients’ quality of life. In Europe only, around 3 million people are affected by IBD, leading to a direct healthcare cost of over 5 bn€ per year. Current treatment options are still unsatisfactory by limited efficacy in an important fraction of patients as well as adverse effects. There is to date no cure for IBD. It is widely accepted that to break through the therapeutic ceiling, combination therapies or completely novel approaches will be needed. Due to the increasing incidence and prevalence and associated burden of IBD, the lack of effective long-term treatment options and the associated risks including CRC, IBD remains an important unmet medical need with an urgent need for novel therapies that can improve patient outcome.
FLAMINCO aimed to develop a new treatment for IBD, testing molecules in advanced disease models, with the goal of creating a therapy that can improve patient outcomes. The objective of the project was to explore the use of a novel class of molecules exploiting a unique mechanism-of-action and validate their efficacy as a therapeutic for IBD; perform proof-of-concept studies in state-of-the-art models and contribute to a data package towards IND for this class of compound and indication.
