Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a clinical-stage company, develops therapeutics to treat diseases in areas of high unmet need. The company's lead product candidates include SYN-004 designed to degrade various commonly used intravenous beta-lactam antibiotics in gastrointestinal (GI) tract for the prevention of microbiome damage, clostridium difficile infection (CDI), overgrowth of pathogenic organisms, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients; and SYN-020, a recombinant oral formulation for the enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase to treat both local GI and systemic diseases. It also develops VCN-01 for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and retinoblastoma. In addition, the company develops clinical stage products, such as SYN-006 to prevent aGVHD and infection by carbapenem resistant enterococci; SYN-007 for preventing antibiotic associated diarrhea with oral ß-lactam antibiotics; SYN-005 for the prevention and treatment of pertussis; and VCN-11 to treat cancer. It has collaborations with Intrexon Corporation, The University of Texas at Austin, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and a clinical trial agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to conduct a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of SYN-004. Synthetic Biologics, Inc. is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.