Technology
iNtRON Bio, Demonstrated Toxin-Neutralizing Effect of IMPA™ Phage Engineering Technology in Colorectal Cancer Model and Completed the US Patent Application
Recently, a specific genotype of E. coli that may cause colorectal cancer has been detected in commonly eaten leafy vegetables such as lettuce, raising consumer concerns. Among these strains, pks+ E. coli is of particular concern. This bacterium produces a toxic substance in the intestine that causes DNA damage (ICLs, Interstrand Cross-Links), which leads to DSBs (Double Strand Breaks), and has been shown in numerous studies, including Nature (2023), to increase the risk of colorectal cancer ove
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[{"type":"text","content":"• Successful validation of payloaded anti-colibactin toxin phage using IMPA™ technology • Demonstrated 'Dual-target Therapeutic Strategy' by bacterial eradication and toxin neutralization • Filed the US patent application for the candidate substance and preclinical studies including PoC underway","length":334,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"BOSTON and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, a specific genotype of E. coli that may cause colorectal cancer has been detected in commonly eaten leafy vegetables such as lettuce, raising consumer concerns. Among these strains, pks+ E. coli is of particular concern. This bacterium produces a toxic substance in the intestine that causes DNA damage (ICLs, Interstrand Cross-Links), which leads to DSBs (Double Strand Breaks), and has been shown in numerous studies, including Nature (2023), to increase the risk of colorectal cancer over time.","length":572,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Amid this situation, as an innovative bacteriophage technology development company, iNtRON Bio proposes a new possibility for microbiome-based anticancer drugs in treating colorectal cancer—considered a hard-to-treat disease—by applying our phage engineering technology called IMPA™.","length":283,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"iNtRON Bio has been developing PHAGERIAⓇ, an immunotherapeutic targeting gut bacteria, and through the IMPA™ phage engineering technology developed in-house, iNtRON Bio has secured a new drug candidate payloaded with a substance that effectively eliminates colibactin ,a major causative agent of colorectal cancer and have filed a related US patent application.","length":361,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The phage engineering technology IMPA™ (Intelligent Modular Phage Assembly) was formerly known as the "robot bacteriophage." With the recent US patent application, it was named to clearly reflect the function as a technology for engineering modular phages (mock-up phages) that can carry therapeutic payloads.","length":319,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"This achievement is the result of combining transposon mutagenesis, CRISPR/Cas-based forward/reverse genetics, and AI-driven analysis capabilities to explore the possibility of delivering various functional payloads. In par...