Polaroid Therapeutics joins Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s IBD Plexus to advance IBD research

SWITZERLAND—Polaroid Therapeutics (PTx), a Swiss biotechnology company developing antimicrobial polymer and wound care technologies, has joined the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s IBD Plexus research platform.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation focused on finding cures for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and improving the lives of people living with the condition.

IBD affects more than 10 million people worldwide.

Meanwhile, IBD Plexus, the Foundation’s research accelerator, provides access to a large collection of IBD patient data and biological samples.

Through its membership, PTx will gain access to longitudinal health data and biosamples from people living with IBD, with personal identifying information removed.

The company plans to use these resources to investigate how Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis develop and progress in patients, complementing findings from laboratory models.

The platform integrates clinical records, biological data and patient-reported information from major IBD research cohorts, including SPARC IBD, IBD Qorus, RISK and IBD Partners.

By bringing these resources together, IBD Plexus enables researchers from industry and academia to study IBD across large patient populations and identify patterns that could support the development of new approaches to disease management.

Supporting antimicrobial technology development

PTx said membership of IBD Plexus will allow its researchers to test and refine its antimicrobial technology using real-world evidence from patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

“Industry participation in IBD Plexus is essential to translating real-world data into better outcomes for patients,” said Angela Dobes, senior vice president of IBD Plexus at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

“We welcome Polaroid Therapeutics as a data-driven member of our research community and look forward to the contributions this collaboration will enable.”

Ran Frenkel, CEO and co-founder of PTx, said access to relevant patient data is essential for advancing care for people with IBD.

“IBD Plexus gives our team the patient-level data and biosamples to pursue rigorous, patient-centred research,” he said.

“It is a powerful foundation for the predictive and disease-control tools we are building to help patients stay ahead of their disease.”

Developing antimicrobial polymer technology

Founded in 2022, PTx is developing APT™ (Antimicrobial Polymer Technology), a platform designed to deliver controlled antimicrobial activity through structural design rather than chemical release.

The company said its proprietary polymer chemistry can be adapted for use across multiple formats and clinical applications, supporting its focus on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stewardship and evidence-based innovation.

The Swiss-based biotech was incubated and developed by Polaroid, the brand known for pioneering the chemistry and technology behind analogue instant photography.

 PTx aims to apply these scientific and technological capabilities to develop human-centred medical solutions.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation supports IBD research and provides educational and support resources for patients, families, healthcare professionals and the wider public.

Its mission is to advance research towards cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis while improving the quality of life of people living with IBD.