OGS and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. Launch a Major Proteomics Initiative to Advance Management of Cystic Fibrosis
OXFORD, UK and BETHESDA, Md., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oxford GlycoSciences Plc (LSE: OGS, Nasdaq: OGSI) and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. (CFFTI), a non-profit affiliate of the US based Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, today announced a research collaboration to discover and validate serum biomarkers of cystic fibrosis (CF) and associated pulmonary complications.
OGS will apply its industrial-scale proteomics technology to analyse clinical samples collected by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to identify serum proteins that predict early CF lung disease. These markers could be of particular value in monitoring infants for whom current assessment methods are limited. They could also be useful in facilitating clinical trials by optimising patient profiling and assessing disease severity and progression in response to therapeutic intervention. The results from the collaboration may also contribute to better defining CF disease mechanisms, providing insights that could lead to the identification of new drug targets.
"We believe that this project, focusing on serum biomarkers, has the potential to bring significant improvements in the management of cystic fibrosis lung diseases by overcoming some of the limitations of current diagnostics and treatments," said David Ebsworth, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of OGS. "This alliance with CFFTI is an important and significant addition to our proteomics discovery business."
"By collaborating with OGS and using its extensive experience in proteomics of serum biomarkers and respiratory diseases, we believe that we can accelerate the pace of clinical advances to meet CF's tremendous unmet medical need," said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and CFFTI. "This research has the potential to benefit patients in two ways: by diagnosing complications sooner and by intervening earlier and more efficiently. Both may improve the quality of life of tens of thousands of CF patients worldwide."
Under the terms of the agreement, OGS retains exclusive commercial rights to databases, prognostic and diagnostic applications of biomarkers, and rights on certain applications developed outside of CF, while CFFTI retains exclusive rights to CF therapeutics and certain related applications. CFFTI could pay OGS up to $5.5 million, including an upfront technology access fee, research fees and certain discovery and validation milestone payments. In addition, each party is entitled to receive royalties from the other party on product sales in respect of that party's retained commercial rights... |
