Thelior Bio: rethinking gut health from the inside out
9th July 2025
Thelior Bio working on new class of therapies
Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) struggle to stay in remission. Even when drugs calm inflammation, the disease often returns and causes long-term complications.
Thelior Bio, a company formed out of research from the University of Oxford and supported by Oxford University Innovation (OUI), wants to change that.
By focusing on healing the gut lining itself, not just suppressing inflammation, Thelior is developing a new class of therapies that could offer patients longer-lasting relief and fewer relapses.
Thelior Bio, which launched in March 2025, is currently in the discovery and preclinical validation stage. Backed by seed funding from Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), Thelior is focused on developing highly targeted therapeutics for patients with IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Alison Simmons, a leading gastroenterologist and Director of the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit based at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, is one of the founders.
“Our work began by looking directly at tissue samples from people with IBD,” she said. “Some patients simply do not respond to existing treatments, and we wanted to understand why.”
By studying tissue samples from patients, the researchers identified a specific molecule that appears to drive damage and prevent recovery. Thelior’s aim is to block these harmful signals using highly targeted monoclonal molecules.
Unlike many current therapies that just suppress inflammation, Thelior’s approach is designed to restore the gut’s natural defences and promote real healing.
“There’s a big unmet need here,” added Prof Simmons. “Most drugs today focus on calming the immune system. But that’s only part of the picture. To keep people in remission and prevent long-term damage, we also need to repair the gut lining itself.”
If successful, Thelior’s therapy could not only help people who do not respond to current drugs, but also reduce relapses, prevent complications like scarring and fistulas, and offer more lasting relief.
By translating fresh molecular insights into smart new medicines, Thelior Bio hopes to open the door to a new class of gut-healing treatments – and give hope to patients for whom current options fall short.
Keep an eye on Oxford University Innovation’s news and updates to follow Thelior Bio’s journey from lab to clinic.
