Belgian microbiome player MRM Health initiates R&D partnership in cancer immunotherapy

Through this collaboration, MRM Health aims to accelerate the development of novel live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) to improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer treatment, the company said in a statement.

“We are entering a new era where the microbiome will become a key driver of immunotherapy success,” said Sam Possemiers, CEO of MRM Health. “By combining our rational microbiome design platform with the deep oncology and immunology expertise of Prof. Voest and his team at the NKI, we aim to accelerate the creation of next-generation therapies that increase response rates to immune checkpoint inhibitors, meaningfully improving patient outcomes across multiple cancer types.”

The company is applying its proprietary CORAL® platform to design and develop optimized bacterial consortia that can restore the dysbiotic microbiome while modulating immune and metabolic pathways relevant to ICI response. It expects the partnership to provide unique insights into patient disease profiles, advanced microbiome data and immune cell profiling, which should enable the acceleration of MRM Health’s internal program.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have reshaped cancer care but remain limited by toxicity, immune-related side effects, and resistance in many patients. A growing body of evidence suggests the gut microbiome can influence both treatment response and safety, with certain microbial profiles linked to better outcomes and dysbiosis, often triggered by antibiotics, associated with poorer survival. Early clinical and preclinical studies indicate that targeted modulation of the microbiome could improve the effectiveness and tolerability of immunotherapy, the statement said.

MRM Health’s lead product candidate, MH002 is currently in Phase IIb development in ulcerative colitis and the orphan disease indication pouchitis. Its pipeline also includes ongoing preclinical programs in other inflammatory diseases and in immune-oncology.