What is the Rebiotix MRT™ Drug Platform?
The influence of human gut microbiota on our health is an exciting and expanding frontier of research. New discoveries are published frequently underscoring the power and influence of these tiny organisms and their ecosystems over our every-day lives. Understanding this power, and how it can be harnessed to restore health or prevent disease, has been the guiding force for Rebiotix since its founding in 2011.
Built on a strong foundation of rigorous testing and scientific evidence, Rebiotix Inc., now part of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, has established a microbiota-based investigative drug platform to use in the never-ending battle against disease progression and recurrence. Known as the MRT™ drug platform, Rebiotix uses controlled manufacturing processes and quality control parameters to investigate the impact of human-derived microbiota therapies on health and disease.
The first formulation of the platform, RBX2660, is currently in clinical trials for the prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection. The clinical trials are conducted under the U.S. FDA’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the purpose of studying safety, efficacy, and impact of microbiota-based therapeutics on the prevention of recurrent C. diff. The second formulation in development, RBX7455, is the first of its kind non-frozen, room-temperature stable, orally delivered microbiota-based product. RBX2660 and RBX7455 will serve as critical facets of the MRT drug platform, paving the way for further research and product development. Currently, the investigational RBX2660 formulation under the MRT platform is the most clinically advanced microbiota-based therapeutic in the world.
Disturbances in the gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, has been linked to affecting 4 million people and costing over 12 billion dollars in the United States alone. We seek to understand the connection between the human microbiome and disease.1
Our MRT Drug Platform, using live microbiota as a therapy to replace or replenish disrupted microbial communities, is currently being evaluated for its potential to reduce the recurrence of Clostridiodies difficile infection, also known as recurrent C. diff infection or rCDI. This healthcare associated-infection (HAI), which can also be community-acquired (CAI) is directly responsible for nearly 30,000 annual deaths in the United States. Even when initially successfully treated, C. diff. re-occurs in roughly 1 in 5 patients often resulting in a declining quality of life.2
Watch the video for a more complete story on our science and the MRT™ drug platform.
MRT™ Platform Extensions and Opportunities
Our team is dedicated to understanding the potential of the microbiome through strong scientific and clinical data. More evidence is generated each day underscoring the importance of the human microbiome and how it may influence diseases beyond recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection. Learn more about the our vision for the potential of microbiota-based therapies here.
Reference
- Carding S, Verbeke K, Vipond DT, Corfe BM, Owen LJ. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disease. Microb Ecol Health Dis. 2015;26:26191. Published 2015 Feb 2. doi:10.3402/mehd.v26.26191
- Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2019. doi:10.15620/cdc:82532