Flightpath Biosciences and the Forsyth Institute Enter Into Co-Development Agreement Targeting Oral Disease

DETROIT, October 3, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Flightpath Biosciences, Inc. announced today that it has signed a landmark development agreement with the Forsyth Institute, a globally recognized leader in the fields of oral health research and clinical care. 

The development agreement contemplates a multi-indication and multi-year deal to develop new products and intellectual property, beginning with Flightpath’s orally bioavailable, narrow-spectrum antibiotic, FP-100, for prevention and treatment of oral disease. Increasing evidence shows that oral bacteria play a significant role in systemic diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Leveraging Forsyth’s intellectual property, animal models and deep clinical expertise and capabilities in oral health, the team will evaluate the drug’s impact on early-stage periodontal disease, and associated inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. 

“We are thrilled to work with a partner that can help us unlock the value of our lead therapeutic candidate, FP-100, in this new area of high unmet need. It is abundantly clear that chronic oral infections and resultant inflammation play a key role in both oral disease and related systemic diseases. We’re optimistic that this new collaboration will lead to a new wave of clinical options and approaches for patients with periodontal disease,” said Matt Tindall, Flightpath Biosciences co-founder and CEO. 

Periodontal disease (PD) is a common chronic inflammatory disease that afflicts up to 50% of the adult population — more than 65 million Americans and hundreds of millions of patients globally. It is mainly the result of infections and inflammation of the gums and bone that surround and support the teeth. The annual direct costs related to the prevention and treatment of these persistent infections are over $3.5 billion in the U.S. alone.

“FP-100 has demonstrated potential to eradicate both Treponemes and Fusobacterium, two critical pathogens in PD, without negatively impacting symbiont bacteria and with no evidence of biologically relevant toxicity in multiple animal species. Combining Flightpath’s drug development expertise with Forsyth’s tremendous oral health capabilities is an exciting moment for both parties and for patient care generally,” said Kim Lewis, Flightpath Biosciences co-founder and Head of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University. 

The research will be led by Alpdogan Kantarci, DDS, MSc, PhD, senior member of faculty at Forsyth, whose work examines the connections between PD and systemic disease. “Treponema and Fusobacterium are well-known causal pathogens in periodontal disease that are also associated with other serious systemic diseases. We believe the work planned between the teams has high potential to add new options to early therapeutic prevention, with implications beyond oral care.”

“We are excited to collaborate with Flightpath,” said Wenyuan Shi, PhD, CEO, Forsyth Institute. “Focusing on the oral-systemic connections when developing therapeutics will allow us to make real progress in improving public health.”

Today, periodontal disease is frequently treated after diagnosis using an array of medical, mechanical and surgical approaches that range from education and control of risk factors to invasive, painful and expensive dental procedures. New methods of prevention and treatment are of growing importance, based on new learnings about the bacterial implications in systemic disease. There are relatively few safe and effective therapeutic options that can be used repeatedly in the later stages of progressing periodontal disease. 

A phase 1 clinical trial of FP-100 is expected to start in Q1 2024.

Flightpath Biosciences, Inc. is a private, Series A-funded, near-clinical stage life sciences company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. To date, the company’s primary development focus has been on novel therapies to treat acute Lyme disease, which is advancing and remains ongoing. The company’s lead drug candidate, FP-100, is a narrow-spectrum bactericidal compound with selective activity against spirochetal bacteria and Fusobacterium and limited impact on the gut microbiome. 

The Forsyth Institute, founded in 1910, is the world’s leading independent research institution focused on oral health and its connection to overall wellness. Forsyth was founded as a pediatric dental hospital serving disadvantaged children in the Boston area. Today, the Institute is grounded in a three-pillared strategic plan focused on biological research, clinical care, and technological innovation. Forsyth carries out its original mission through a mobile public health dental program called ForsythKids.

Source: Flightpath Biosciences, Inc.