YSOPIA Bioscience Announces Enrollment and Treatment of First Volunteers in its Phase 1 Clinical Trial Evaluating Xla1 for the Treatment of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases

• First worldwide clinical study evaluating the therapeutic potential of a biotherapy based on a unique strain of Christensenella, a key bacteria of the human microbiome, for the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases.

• This study aims to recruit 38 volunteers and will be carried out in the United States.

Bordeaux, France, December 7^th, 2020 – YSOPIA Bioscience, a French clinical stage biotechnology company specializing in the research and development of innovative drugs using the properties of key bacterial strains of the gut microbiome, today announced the recruitment and treatment of the first volunteers of its Phase 1 clinical trial, named CAUSALITY, which evaluates Xla1 in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.

Xla1 – YSOPIA’s lead drug candidate –  is an oral biotherapy using the properties of a unique living bacterial strain of Christensenella, a true keystone of the intestinal microbiome. Since their discovery in 2012, Christensenella showed, in several scientific publications in Europe, the United States and Asia, a strong potential in the prevention of obesity and associated metabolic diseases. Their absence in the gut microbiome is a major factor in the development of obesity and several metabolic disorders. Finally, it has been shown that the relative abundance of Christensenella bacteria in the human gut microbiome is inversely proportional to the Body Mass Index (BMI) of patients and to several markers related to metabolic diseases.

Strong proof-of-concept studies conducted by YSOPIA in preclinical models have also demonstrated a significant efficacy of Xla1 on obesity and associated metabolic markers.

The CAUSALITY study will primarily evaluate the safety and tolerability of Xla1 compared to placebo. Conducted in the U.S.A., CAUSALITY plans to recruit 38 volunteers, including healthy volunteers and obese volunteers with metabolic disorders. Xla1 will be delivered daily in the form of oral gastro-resistant capsules.

“We are very proud to announce today the recruitment and treatment of the first volunteers of our CAUSALITY study,” commented Dr. Georges Rawadi, Chief Executive Officer of YSOPIA Bioscience.“Christensenella’s advancement to the clinical phase in record time shows how far YSOPIA has come and our team’s dedication to getting our drug candidate to patients. We are convinced that microbiome-derived biotherapies represent a revolutionary approach and that they will be an integral part of tomorrow’s medicine. With its innovative and unique technology, YSOPIA hopes to bring new therapeutic hope for the management of chronic diseases.”

About obesity
Obesity is the most important worldwide health issue with over 650 million people being reported to be obese. Overweight and obesity are recognized by the World Health Organization as the fifth highest risk of death in the world. Projections by the World Obesity Federation indicates that by 2025, more than one billion people worldwide will be obese. Owing to their condition, obese patients are at an elevated risk for developing other health related problems such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease and many others. Moreover, obese people suffer from social as well as psychological impairments.

Contacts
NewCap, Press Relations
Arthur Rouillé
arouille@newcap.fr

YSOPIA Bioscience, Corporate Communication
Caroline Bernard
caroline.bernard@ysopia.bio