Porton Biopharma, a Salisbury, UK-headquartered biopharmaceutical company, has obtained grant funding from Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency, to investigate the manufacture of a new class of medicines that target a range of clinical conditions through interaction with the human microbiome.

The approach of the medicines is to use spores derived from anaerobic bacteria (Clostridia) that are naturally found in human large intestines to deliver targeted anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Bacterial spores are resistant to acid, so when ingested in a tablet or capsule, they are able to pass largely unscathed through the stomach before germinating and releasing the anti-inflammatory bio-actives (payload) to where it is needed in the colon, to treat chronic inflammatory conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, according to information from Porton Biopharma.

The funding will be used to support the scale-up and manufacture of Clostridial spore-based medicines to good manufacturing practices.