Ben, can you share your personal journey that led you to join Altis Biosystems in 2023?
I embarked on this path as a research scientist, holding a PhD in cell biology and a postdoc in genomics. My career has predominantly been in venture capitalism, focusing on early-stage, preclinical therapeutics companies. This experience exposed me to the challenges in early-stage drug development, bridging academic research to preclinical development. I have worked with various biotech companies in business development and strategic roles. Joining Altis Biosystems presented a unique convergence of my experiences. Altis directly addresses preclinical challenges I have been passionate about, making this role an exciting opportunity for me.
What can you tell us about the origins of Altis Biosystems? Why was it founded precisely in 2015?
Altis Biosystems emerged from the University of North Carolina, specifically from Nancy Allbritton's lab, which focused on engineering primary stem cells to replicate gut epithelium. This period coincided with growing interest in iPSCs (induced Pluripotent Stem Cells), and Altis leveraged this by focusing on intestinal stem cells unique to the gut. Our work is rooted in engineering these stem cells and applying them in a model system that we have now commercialized. The founding of Altis was driven by a need to better understand and replicate gut biology, a field gaining prominence at the time.
How do you see the role of the gut in the future of medicine and healthcare? Why is it so important?
The gut plays a crucial role in health beyond its primary function of nutrient absorption. Its significance lies in hosting the microbiome, a key player in our immune system. The gut influences various bodily systems through the gut-brain axis, gut-skin axis, and its interaction with the liver and kidneys in drug metabolism. It is a nexus point for understanding and treating a multitude of health issues. The gut's complexity and its interactions with other systems make it a focal point for therapeutic and nutritional interventions, including emerging areas like nutraceuticals.
Can you elaborate on Altis Biosystems' value proposition as well as the company’ growth prospects?
Altis is committed to advancing gut-related therapies, highlighted by the recent interest in GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. Our business model revolves around our unique product, a replica of the gut epithelium, derived from human stem cells. We have built a biobank from diverse human donors, capturing various demographics and gut regions. This approach addresses the limitations of animal models in gut disease research.
Our growth lies in the scalability of this model and its application across different regions of the gut, tailored to client needs. This positions us to contribute significantly to gut-related medical advancements and therapies.
Is it accurate to view your product as an external gut model for experimental purposes?
Absolutely. At Altis, we have developed a product, the RepliGut platform, that effectively serves as an external gut model. Our business model is centered on partnering with other organizations. We do not develop our own therapeutics; instead, we offer our product as a service. Companies can send us their new therapeutic, and we assist in testing its efficacy, toxicity, or metabolism. Our North Carolina lab allows clients to design studies and receive results from our team of scientists. Alternatively, we can ship our products – the cells, growth media, and plates – directly to our customers.
Could you quote some case studies, like your product RepliGut InflammaScreen targeting inflammatory bowel diseases?
Our product, InflammaScreen, is designed to make drug development more cost-effective and faster. It utilizes our core platform, RepliGut, to screen compounds rapidly under various inflammatory stimuli. This helps companies quickly triage compounds and decide which to prioritize or eliminate.
Another upcoming product is StemTox, aimed at screening compounds for toxicity profiles, addressing issues like gut leakiness and clinical side effects. We have collaborated with companies like AstraZeneca, supporting their research with our StemTox model. Additionally, we have worked with Genentech on drug metabolism studies, utilizing RepliGut to replicate human drug metabolism more accurately than traditional models.
Can you explain the advantages of being a private company in this field, as opposed to a government or academic institution?
As a private company, Altis Biosystems is strategically positioned to address the needs of pharma and biotech companies in therapeutic development. Our service offers a profitable alternative to traditional animal models, providing more reliable data for our clients. This model also allows us to contribute meaningfully to drug development, offering superior models for understanding human biology. Our independence enables us to focus on creating products that advance medical research and treatment, aligning our goals with the broader drug development industry.
Could you comment on the economic benefits of using your products compared to traditional animal models?
Economically, our cell-based models are more cost-effective than animal models. Traditional dose-finding studies with animals require a high number of specimens, increasing costs. Our standardized assays, like InflammaScreen and StemTox, provide quick, accurate results, making them a cost-effective solution for our clients. This approach allows companies to make informed decisions earlier in the drug development process, saving time and resources.
Has the current depressed investment climate impacted interest in your products, given their potential to streamline drug development?
We have seen growing interest in our products over the past two years.
Our data is increasingly valuable for biotech companies, aiding in presentations to investors and supporting FDA submissions. The recent FDA Modernization Act has opened doors for alternative model systems like ours, which offer human-relevant data that is attractive to both investors and regulators. This situation creates a win-win scenario, where our products not only advance scientific research but also provide a competitive edge in the regulatory and investment arenas.
