Cardiometabolic research specialist announces Sandrine Claus appointment as Chief Scientific Officer to lead its microbiota-oriented ambitious strategy

Bordeaux (France), 27^th September 2017 – LNC Therapeutics, a company specialized in the research and development of gut microbiota directed drugs for the treatment of obesity and associated cardiometabolic diseases, today announces a € 6, 5 million funding C series.

This new round, co-led by Seventure Partner, brings together a consortium of historic investors and a family office. Since its creation in 2010, LNC Therapeutics has raised a total of € 16.5 million.

« This funding round of € 6.5 million establishes LNC Therapeutics as a key player in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders through an action on the gut microbiota”, explains Jean-Luc Treillou, LNC therapeutics’ CEO. “Our recent clinical trial on obese patients indicated that visceral fat loss in this population was correlated with a modulation of the gut microbiota, specifically with a bacterial family known for its anti-obesity potential.”

“Hence, our current objective is to develop new drug candidates whose mechanism of action requires an interaction with the gut microbiota and the intestinal membrane. Targeted therapeutic indications include pathologies caused by excessive visceral fat accumulation and chronic inflammation such as obesity and NASH”.

A world-class Chief Scientific Officer, Sandrine Claus PhD

Dr Sandrine Claus, PhD is Associate Professor in Integrative Metabolism at the University of Reading, which she joined in 2010. Its research focuses on the host-gut microbial metabolic interactions to link gut microbial ecology to metabolic health.

This is achieved using a combination of molecular tools to screen the microbiome (i.e. the gut microbial genome) and the metabolome (i.e. all detectable metabolites in a sample). Modern microbial sequencing technologies are applied to assess variations in the microbiome in combination with metabolic profiling (metabolomics) together with other molecular biological tools to measure modulations of the metabolism.

The main mission of Sandrine Claus within LNC Therapeutics will be leading the ambitious R&D pipeline and the development of new treatments in the field of cardiometabolic diseases and other fields of investigation relating to bioactivity of some peptides.

« It is with great pleasure that I am joining LNC Therapeutics and its dynamic team. It is an exciting time to join the company that owns a large pipeline of innovative patents related to gut microbiota activity to improve health outcomes”, comments Sandrine Claus. “After spending the last 12 years investigating host-gut microbiota metabolic interactions at Imperial College London and the University of Reading, I am now looking forward to contributing to LNC Therapeutics using my academic experience to drive successful research programs. »

Sandrine Claus’ full experience and publications can be consulted on her lab by clicking here: https://clauslab.net/team/sandrine-claus/

“Our new CSO, Dr Sandrine Claus, PhD, who is an expert of the role of gut microbiota in the development of metabolic disorders, is a strategic recruitment. Our strategic plan has now to be delivered and will drive us to an IPO by the end of 2019”, concludes Jean-Luc Treillou.

« We are pleased to participate in this new round and to have syndicated the C Series with other “deep pockets” investors. LNC Therapeutics, which we have supported since the A-Series, chose to remain discrete over the last 2 years in the microbiome’s booming universe to gain a foothold and consolidate its competitive position. LNC Therapeutics is complementing our portfolio of microbiome champions consisting of companies very advanced in their research. The discoveries on micro-organisms and their behavior are giving rise to a groundbreaking approach to medicine. We are very proud to have been the pioneers in the financing of this sector which has not finished to surprise us and for which we will continue to support the growth”,  added Isabelle de Crémoux, CEO of Seventure Partners and founder of Health For Life Capital™.