IFM Therapeutics Launches Subsidiary IFM Tre With $31 Million and Focus on Inflammatory Diseases

Almost one year ago Bristol-Myers Squibb snapped up Boston-based IMF Therapeutics in a $300 million deal. This morning IFM Tre, a subsidiary of IFM Therapeutics, launched with $31 million in the bank and a focus on developing a suite of different NLRP3 antagonists.

IFM Tre, which launched with the support of BMS and IFM Therapeutics management, said the NLRP3 antagonists can potentially block inflammatory responses that underlie a variety of serious diseases. IFM Tre’s $31 million Series A funding was supported by Atlas Venture, Abingworth, Bristol-Myers Squibb and IFM's management, the new company said. Gary Glick, chief executive officer of IFM and one of the co-founders, said the NLRP3 programs have a potential to bring “safer and more effective treatments” to patients who are fighting diseases caused by inappropriate inflammation.

IFM Tre’s parent company IFM Therapeutics focuses on the development of drugs that modulate the innate immune system in order to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory disorders. When BMS stepped up to the plate to acquire IFM, the pharma giant was focused on its preclinical STING (stimulator of interferon genes) and NLRP3 agonist programs to complement its own immuno-oncology programs.

IFM Tre’s programs suppress inflammation mediated by the NLRP3 pathway. In its announcement, IFM Tre said that normally the NLRP3 gene activates immune responses to protect against pathogenic threats. However, “abnormal activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome drives the onset and progression of numerous conditions, including metabolic, fibrotic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases,” IFM Tre said. Those three areas are of primary interest to IFM Tre and its agonist program.

“Based on substantial preclinical and translational data suggesting the therapeutic effects of NLRP3 inhibition, we believe our small molecules may selectively reduce the immune responses that cause the body to attack itself and prevent overactive inflammation from occurring. We have made substantial progress in our NLRP3 portfolio and look forward to bringing our candidates forward into the clinic,” Glick said in a statement.

IFM Tre said its approach to targeting the NLRP3 pathway leaves other immune pathways “unsuppressed and free to produce inflammatory responses” as they are needed to confront pathogens. IFM Tre’s pipeline includes three developmental programs including its lead candidate inhibits the activity of NLRP3 outside the central nervous system by directly binding to the protein. This prevents the “shape change” that leads to the maturation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1 and IL-18, the company said. IFM Tre said it plans to begin Phase I testing in 2019. Its second product is a gut-directed NLRP3 candidate that can be used as a single-agent therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. IFM Tre’s third product candidate is a CNS-penetrant NLRP3 antagonist candidate for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory conditions.

"IFM Tre has established a very broad effort to advance multiple compounds that block this target. We are tremendously excited by the promise that targeting NLRP3 holds for bringing new treatment options to patients,” H. Martin Seidel head of R&D said in a statement.