Palisade Bio Appoints IBD Expert Bram Verstockt, MD, PhD, To Clinical Advisory Board As Company Prepares PALI-2108 For Phase 2 Trials In Ulcerative Colitis And Fibrostenotic Crohn’s Disease

Palisade Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation, once-daily oral PDE4 inhibitor prodrugs designed for targeted delivery to the terminal ileum and colon, has announced the appointment of Bram Verstockt, MD, PhD, to its Clinical Advisory Board. His addition marks an important step as the Company prepares to advance its lead program, PALI-2108, into Phase 2 development for ulcerative colitis and fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease. Dr. Verstockt is an internationally recognized expert in inflammatory bowel disease and a prominent figure in precision medicine and non-invasive disease assessment. His expertise will support Palisade’s efforts to refine clinical strategy, strengthen trial design, and enhance the integration of modern diagnostic tools into upcoming studies.

Palisade Bio noted that entering Phase 2 requires careful planning to ensure meaningful clinical outcomes. According to Mitch Jones, MD, PhD, President and Chief Medical Officer, selecting the right patients, establishing appropriate endpoints, and applying advanced monitoring techniques will be essential to demonstrating the therapeutic value of PALI-2108. He emphasized that Dr. Verstockt’s extensive background in advanced imaging, biomarker integration, and multi-omics research makes him a valuable resource as the Company aims to design efficient studies capable of showing durable efficacy and potential disease modification.

Dr. Verstockt currently serves as an IBD staff physician and professor in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at University Hospitals Leuven and KU Leuven in Belgium. His research focuses on advancing precision medicine for inflammatory bowel disease by studying disease variability, developing biomarkers, and promoting non-invasive methods of disease monitoring, including intestinal ultrasound and advanced radiologic imaging. He has contributed to major international collaborations involving multi-omics, proteomics, and organoid-based research platforms that seek to improve understanding of treatment response and disease behavior. He is also a co-founder of the COLLIBRI proteomics consortium, which supports biomarker discovery and translational research across inflammatory conditions.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Verstockt stated that precision stratification and objective, non-invasive disease assessment are becoming increasingly important in IBD drug development. He noted that PALI-2108 represents a differentiated oral therapy that directly targets inflammatory pathways within the ileum and colon, and he expressed enthusiasm about contributing to the incorporation of advanced imaging and biomarker-driven strategies as the drug moves into Phase 2 testing.

Looking ahead, Palisade Bio plans to submit an Investigational New Drug application for a Phase 2 clinical study of PALI-2108 in ulcerative colitis during the first half of 2026. In parallel, the Company continues to develop plans for a Phase 2 program in fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease, further expanding the potential reach of its targeted therapeutic approach.