Date: Sep 17, 2008 Source: (
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Bio3 Research S.r.l. and ProtElix, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a non-exclusive worldwide collaboration for the development and commercial exploitation of mimic-antibody HMGB1 antagonists to prevent restenosis and atherosclerotic plaque progression. Anti-HMGB1 mimic-Abs will be generated by ProtElix using its proprietary technology platform and under a non-exclusive license to utilize Bio3 Research's patent (IP WO02074437) relating to HMGB1 for cardiovascular disorders. Patents have been granted to Bio3 Research in Italy and Australia and the patent nationalization phase is underway in the USA, EU, Japan, Canada, China and Mexico.
Through a licensing program, Bio3 Research and ProtElix will jointly carry out the commercial exploitation of the mimic-Abs in key pharmaceutical markets. No details on commercial terms have been disclosed.
Dr Roberto Crea, Chairman and CEO of Protelix Inc., commented, "The collaboration with Bio3 Research is a great opportunity for ProtElix to direct its proprietary antibody mimics platform to important applications in cardiovascular diseases and cancer. We are very pleased to combine Bio3 Research's Intellectual Property and marketing expertise with our "core" technology to discover and develop cheaper and more effective protein drug antagonists".
Mr. Francesco Paolo Pilato, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio3 Research commented: "Mimic-Abs represent an innovative approach to antagonizing HMGB1, a biological target recognized as one of the major factors contributing to several cardiovascular disorders. The world market potential for therapeutics in this area is in the range of $35 Billion. Bio3 Research has already focused on the possible development of monoclonal antibodies to antagonize HMGB1. By developing an HMGB1-specific mimic-antibody using ProtElix's pioneering technology, we may accelerate the development of new therapeutic tools with better tissue penetration, the potential for non-injected formulations, higher stability, lower production costs and longer shelf-life.
ProtElix Inc. is a biotech R&D company located in Hayward, CA, USA. The Company was founded in 2006 by Dr. Roberto Crea, a serial entrepreneur in the biotech industry, as result of the sale of Bioren, Inc. to Pfizer in 2005. While Pfizer has acquired the worldwide exclusive rights to protein engineering technology for applications in the antibody space, ProtElix has retained the rights to the same platform technology for all other class of protein therapeutics. The Company has focused its initial technology applications on protein antagonists and enzyme engineering.
Bio3 Research S.r.l. is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Milan, Italy and a subsidiary, Bio3 Research Inc., based in Hayward CA, USA. The company is engaged in several development projects, including the use of HMGB1 in connective tissue regeneration and the prevention of severe anemia in hemodialyzed patients with its proprietary therapeutic agent Biocysan™, already licensed to Daxley Group in Latin America and Mexico.
