Allied-Bristol Life Sciences Licenses Intellectual Property from Harvard University
June 22 2015 - 2:00AM
Business Wire
- Allied-Bristol Life Sciences (ABLS) has
licensed intellectual property developed in Professor Malcolm
Whitman’s laboratory at Harvard.
- The intellectual property includes lead
molecules and a differentiated mechanism to develop drugs for
treating chronic fibrotic and autoimmune diseases.
Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC, a biopharmaceutical
enterprise jointly owned by Allied Minds (LSE: ALM) and
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), today announced that it
has entered into a licensing agreement with Harvard University
based on research and intellectual property developed in Professor
Malcolm Whitman’s lab at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Malcolm Whitman, PhD, Professor of Developmental Biology, and
Tracy Keller, PhD, an instructor in the Department of Developmental
Biology, have identified the mechanism of action behind a known
natural product, halofuginone (HF). HF is a chemical compound based
on an active ingredient in the root of the blue evergreen hydrangea
(Dichroa febrifuga), which has been used in traditional Chinese
medicine for centuries.
Building on previous studies conducted with Mark Sundrud, PhD,
and Anjana Rao, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital, Professor
Whitman’s lab, in collaboration with Professor Ralph Mazitschek,
PhD, at the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General
Hospital, has shown that HF works through inhibition of Prolyl-tRNA
synthetase, which leads to activation of an amino acid restriction
(AAR) response pathway. Based on this novel and differentiated
mechanism, several lead molecules have been identified by the
groups at HMS and MGH that have the potential to lead to effective
therapy for several conditions including fibrotic and autoimmune
diseases.
“Our research is at the right stage for an infusion of resources
and expertise to accelerate its progression,” said Dr. Whitman. “We
look forward to seeing the development of lead compounds from our
laboratories into novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic
disease, and potentially other indications.”
“The work done by Whitman and Keller is a terrific example of a
promising early-stage therapeutic application that has the
potential to make a significant difference to patients,” said
Satish Jindal, Chief Executive Officer of ABLS. “We are pleased to
support this project through the next phase of drug discovery to
identify a candidate for clinical development. This is a great
example of the type of university research that ABLS looks for,
where our expertise and experience can accelerate bringing new
therapies to patients that need them.”
The licensing agreement with Harvard’s Office of Technology
Development is among the first in a series of discovery and
development projects that Allied-Bristol Life Sciences intends to
pursue. The license to the technology from Professor Whitman’s lab
will be held by a new ABLS subsidiary specifically formed to pursue
further research and pre-clinical development of the technology and
associated molecules.
For more information about Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, please
visit www.ablifescience.com.
About Allied-Bristol Life SciencesAllied-Bristol Life
Sciences (ABLS) is a jointly owned enterprise between Allied Minds
and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Based upon compelling biological
discoveries and insights from scientists at leading U.S. research
institutions, ABLS identifies, sources and de-risks promising,
early-stage therapeutic opportunities, from discovery through
pre-clinical development, in key therapeutic areas, including
fibrosis, cardiovascular diseases, oncology, immunology, virology
and genetically defined diseases. For more information, visit
www.ablifescience.com.
About Harvard University’s Office of Technology
DevelopmentHarvard’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) is
responsible for all activities pertaining to the evaluation,
patenting and licensing of new inventions and discoveries made at
Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. Harvard OTD also
serves to further the development of Harvard technologies through
the establishment of sponsored research collaborations with
industry. The mission of Harvard OTD is to promote the public good
by fostering innovation and translating new inventions made at
Harvard into useful products that are available and beneficial to
society. For more information, please visit
http://otd.harvard.edu.
About Allied MindsAllied Minds (LSE: ALM) is an
innovative U.S. science and technology development and
commercialization company. Operating since 2006, Allied Minds
forms, funds, manages and builds products and businesses based on
innovative technologies developed at leading U.S. universities and
federal research institutions. Allied Minds serves as a diversified
holding company that supports its businesses and product
development with capital, central management and shared services.
More information about the Boston-based company can be found at
www.alliedminds.com.
About Bristol-Myers SquibbBristol-Myers Squibb is a
global pharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop
and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over
serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb,
visit www.bms.com, or follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/bmsnews.
Allied Minds Forward-Looking StatementThis press release
contains statements that are or may be forward-looking statements,
including statements that relate to the company’s future prospects,
developments and strategies. The forward-looking statements are
based on current expectations and are subject to known and unknown
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results,
performance and achievements to differ materially from current
expectations, including, but not limited to, those risks and
uncertainties described in the risk factors included in the
company’s regulatory filings. These forward-looking statements are
based on assumptions regarding the present and future business
strategies of the company and the environment in which it will
operate in the future. Each forward-looking statement speaks only
as at the date of this press release. Except as required by law,
regulatory requirement, the Listing Rules and the Disclosure and
Transparency Rules, neither the company nor any other party intends
to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward-Looking StatementThis press
release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
regarding the research, development and commercialization of
pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based
on current expectations and involve inherent risks and
uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change
any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ
materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement
can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee
that the licensing agreement mentioned in this release will lead to
identifying a pre-clinical candidate. Nor is there any
guarantee that if one is identified, it will be successfully
developed for or approved for any of the indications described in
this release. Forward-looking statements in this press release
should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that
affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those
identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers
Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2014 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports
on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
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ArcPoint Strategic CommunicationsChristine Dunn, 617-484-1660
x101cdunn@arcpointstrategy.com
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