Oral Biologics for the Lower GI Tract

Oral biologics. Precisely where they're needed.

We develop orally delivered, colon-targeted biologics for orphan and high-unmet-need gastrointestinal diseases. Local mucosal exposure with minimal systemic toxicity.

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Active programs across GI oncology, inflammation & rare disease
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Years of foundational research in plant-based delivery
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NASDAQ-listed biotech partnership active
Laboratory research at Sorbonne Université

When Disease Is in the Colon, Systemic Delivery Is the Wrong Answer

Biologics have transformed many disease areas. But for conditions localized to the colon and lower GI tract, systemic delivery creates a fundamental mismatch between where the drug goes and where the disease is.

Injected biologics are absorbed systemically. Less than 5% of the administered dose reaches the intestinal mucosa. The remaining 95% circulates throughout the body, driving dose-limiting toxicity that often prevents dose optimization at the site of disease.

For patients with localized gastrointestinal conditions, this means living with treatments that are systemically intense but locally insufficient. Infusion visits, immunosuppression, injection-site reactions -- all for a drug that barely reaches the colon.

The result: high discontinuation rates, persistent symptoms, and an entire class of patients whose disease is anatomically accessible but therapeutically underserved.

"What is lacking today is the ability to deliver an effective and safe biological payload at the GI tract level."

Alexandre Lebeaut, MD — Former CSO, Ipsen
Systemic exposure comparison
Injected Biologics
Systemic delivery — >95% absorbed before reaching the colon
~95% systemic exposure
Plantibodies Oral Platform
Targeted colonic release — drug acts at the mucosal surface
Minimal systemic exposure — local therapeutic action
The Plantibodies thesis
Route of delivery is not just formulation -- it is the product. When disease is localized, local delivery changes the therapeutic equation.

A Delivery Platform Built for the Lower GI Tract

Our proprietary system uses plant-based bioencapsulation to protect biologic payloads through the upper GI tract and release them at the colonic mucosa. The platform is the product enabler, not the product itself.

The challenge of oral biologic delivery has always been survival: stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, and intestinal proteases destroy large molecules before they reach their target. Enteric coatings help small molecules, but biologics require a fundamentally different approach.

Our system leverages the plant cell wall as a natural bioencapsulation matrix. Therapeutic proteins expressed within plant cells are physically shielded from gastric degradation. In the colon, resident microbiota digest the cellulose matrix, releasing the biologic directly at the mucosal surface -- precisely where it needs to act.

Research facility

Platform developed over 6+ years at Sorbonne Université

1
Gene Integration & Expression
Therapeutic genes are integrated into the plant chloroplast genome, achieving high copy numbers per cell and robust protein accumulation. This approach avoids mammalian cell culture and conventional fermentation entirely.
2
Natural Bioencapsulation
The plant cell wall serves as a natural gastric shield, protecting the biologic payload from stomach acid and digestive enzymes throughout transit. No synthetic coatings or additional encapsulation steps are required.
3
Oral Formulation
Freeze-dried plant material is formulated into oral capsules that are stable at room temperature for extended periods, eliminating cold chain requirements and enabling global distribution without specialized logistics.
4
Colonic Release
In the colon, commensal gut microbiota digest the plant cell wall, liberating the therapeutic protein at the site of disease. A targeted, naturally mediated release mechanism.
5
Local Mucosal Action
The biologic engages its target directly at the intestinal mucosa with minimal systemic absorption. High local concentration. Low systemic exposure. A fundamentally different pharmacokinetic profile.

Focused on Defined GI Settings Where Local Delivery Matters

Our programs target orphan and high-unmet-need conditions of the colon and lower GI tract where systemic biologics are suboptimal and local mucosal exposure offers a distinct clinical advantage.

Program Discovery      Preclinical      IND-Enabling Stage
PIB-001
Interception Program in a Genetically Defined High-Risk Colorectal Setting
Oral biologic for early neoplasia interception in a well-characterized hereditary population
Preclinical
PIB-002
Lead Inflammatory Program in a Post-Surgical Lower-GI Setting
Oral biologic targeting mucosal inflammation in a high-unmet-need post-surgical condition
Preclinical
PIB-003
Rare Colon Program A
Sponsored research with NASDAQ-listed biotech partner PARTNERSHIP
Research
PIB-004
Rare Colon Program B
Sponsored research with NASDAQ-listed biotech partner PARTNERSHIP
Research
PIB-FUT
Pipeline Expansion
Additional rare and underserved GI indications under evaluation
Exploratory
Request Pipeline Details Under NDA

Specific indications, molecular targets, and program-indication pairings are available to qualified partners under confidentiality agreement.

Grounded in Peer-Reviewed Research

Our platform builds on two decades of published work in plant-based pharmaceutical systems, oral biologic delivery, and colonic targeting.

Nature Biotechnology
Plant cell-based drug delivery for applications in the gastrointestinal tract
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
Oral delivery of therapeutic proteins bioencapsulated in plant cells
Molecular Therapy
Oral Delivery of Protein Drugs Bioencapsulated in Plant Cells
Advanced Genetics
Plant-made oral delivery therapeutics: from laboratory to clinics
Scientific Reports
Expression and characterization of chloroplast-produced IgG Fc domain
Plant Biotechnology Journal
Oral delivery of GLP-1 produced in lettuce chloroplasts
Frontiers in Plant Science
Oral anti-CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor for colon cancer immunotherapy
Pharmaceutics
ACE2 expressed in lettuce chloroplasts: FDA toxicology evaluation
View All Publications

Our Team

Built at the intersection of plant molecular biology, GI drug development, and biotech company building.

Plantibodies founders
Pierre Bauër, CEO & Co-founder

Pierre Bauër

CEO & Co-founder

Drives Plantibodies' corporate strategy, fundraising, and partnership development. Focused on translating the platform into focused clinical programs targeting orphan GI conditions. HEC Paris.

Bilal Mazhar, CSO & Co-founder

Bilal Mazhar

CSO & Co-founder

Leads the scientific platform with 6+ years of research in plant molecular pharming at Sorbonne Université. Oversees preclinical development, process optimization, and intellectual property strategy.

Advisory Board

SM

Sylvain Marcel

CMC
EH

Elsy Boglioli Hofman

Strategy
CF

Charles Ferté

Medical & Pharma
AL

Alexandre Lebeaut

Science
LM

Luc Mathis

Business Development

We are building a team at the frontier of oral biologics.

If you combine scientific rigor with biotech ambition, we want to hear from you.

Get in Touch
Bpifrance
Sorbonne Université
Medicen Paris Region
France Biotech
HEC Paris
Région Île-de-France

News & Progress

January 2026
€500K raised from business angel networks
Seed financing to advance lead programs through preclinical development.
September 2025
Sponsored research agreement with NASDAQ-listed biotech
Partnership validating the platform in rare GI disease settings with an industry-stage partner.
May 2025
NYU Endless Frontier Labs completion
Graduated from NYU's life sciences accelerator program in New York.
June 2023
€400K Innov'Up Leader PIA grant
Non-dilutive funding from Région Île-de-France for core technology development.
April 2023
French Tech Seed + Bpifrance €300K
Convertible notes from Bpifrance and French Tech Seed label.

Convert Validated Mechanisms into Locally Delivered GI Products

We partner with companies that have biologic assets where local colonic delivery offers a clinical or competitive advantage over systemic administration.

01

Indication-Specific Licensing

You have a validated biologic mechanism. We apply our delivery platform to develop an oral formulation targeting a specific GI indication. You retain rights to your molecule in all other settings. We bring the formulation, the preclinical data, and the regulatory path.

02

Co-Development

For biologics that are suboptimal when administered systemically -- whether due to toxicity, poor patient compliance, or insufficient mucosal exposure -- we co-develop an oral version designed for anatomically localized GI disease. Shared risk, shared upside.

03

Competitive Repositioning

Biologics in crowded systemic indications may find differentiated positioning as locally delivered GI products. Our platform enables partners to enter defined GI niches where local delivery is the competitive moat, not the molecule alone.

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Contact Us

Whether you are a potential partner, investor, or collaborator, we would welcome the conversation.

Headquarters

67 rue Saint-Jacques
75005 Paris, France

Laboratories

Sorbonne Université, Paris
Plant biology & molecular pharming

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