MRM Health Rewarded a € 2.6 M VLAIO Research Grant to Accelerate the Development of Novel Therapeutics that Redefine the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

MRM Health, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for immune-mediated diseases, which unlock the power of the microbiome to restore immune balance, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant of € 2.6 M from Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO), a government organization with the goal to stimulate economic development in Flanders, Belgium. The three-year, non-dilutive grant will advance research on gut ecosystem remediation and modification of diseases driven by a dysbiotic inflammatory microbiome while accelerating the development of MRM Health’s therapeutics from preclinical discovery toward clinical proof-of-concept and future patient access.

The program brings together MRM Health with leading academic partners, including Prof. Jeroen Raes (KU Leuven / VIB), Prof. Dr. Dirk Elewaut (UGent / VIB), Prof. Dr. Bram Verstockt (KU Leuven / IBD Leuven), and Prof. Dr. João Sabino (KU Leuven/ IBD Leuven). The collaboration will leverage access to unique clinical samples and datasets to generate novel insights into microbiome-driven inflammation and the bacterial ecosystems underlying disease.

By integrating microbial ecology with host physiology, the project aims to identify and modulate disease-driving bacterial constellations, while elucidating how these ecosystems transition between health and disease. This knowledge is expected to fuel the development of optimized microbial consortia capable of reducing inflammation while correcting microbial dysbiosis, ultimately delivering preclinical LBP candidates.

Katja Conrath, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at MRM Health, commented: “VLAIO’s support enables us to combine our proprietary CORAL^® platform with the deep scientific and clinical expertise of our academic partners. This project will generate critical insights into disease-driving microbiome ecosystems and support the development of targeted, de-risked LBPs for inflammatory diseases with high unmet need. We are grateful to VLAIO for its continued support, which will strengthen our capabilities to progressing this innovative program.”

This collaboration allows us to integrate cutting-edge microbiome science with clinical data, improving our understanding of how microbial ecosystems drive inflammation and how they can be therapeutically reshaped.”

Jeroen Raes, Professor, KU Leuven and Vice Director, Center for Microbiology, VIB

Prof. Dr. João Sabino, Gastroenterologist at UZ Leuven and Principal Investigator at IBD Leuven, said: “Translating microbiome-derived effects into mechanistic pathway insights in patients represents a critical advance for the field.” Prof. Dr. Bram Verstockt, Gastroenterologist at UZ Leuven and Principal Investigator at IBD Leuven, added: “The availability of innovative, non-immunosuppressive therapeutic options emerging from this work is highly valued within the IBD community.”

The project creates a significant opportunity for the development of safe, oral, microbiome-based therapies with disease-modifying potential. These therapies could serve as non-immunosuppressive backbone treatments across multiple inflammatory indications, supporting long-term disease control and improved patient outcomes.