Date: 2012-12-17
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K) inhibitors
Company: The Babraham Institute (UK) Karus Therapeutics (UK)
Therapeutic area: Autoimmune diseases – Inflammatory diseases - Rheumatic diseases
Type agreement: R&D
Action mechanism:
Disease: inflammatory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis
Details: The Babraham Institute and Karus Therapeutics, a company specialized in the development of innovative medicines for the treatment of inflammatory disease and cancer, have entered into a collaboration to further characterise novel treatments for inflammatory diseases, through the regulation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K) - a family of enzymes important to immune cell function. PI3Ks are known to have distinct roles in maintaining health and pathology and it is hoped that this collaboration will pave the way for more effective treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis as well as stimulating further ‘knowledge exchange’ partnerships to translate Institute research and deliver benefit to society and the economy.
The collaboration, led by Dr Stephen Shuttleworth, Chief Scientific Officer of Karus and Drs Len Stephens and Phillip Hawkins at the Babraham Institute, will further investigate PI3K signalling and the immune response, in particular the role of the different isoforms of the PI3K catalytic subunit p110 on neutrophil cell function. Drs Stephens and Hawkins have already shown in vivo that targeting of PI3K-p110 Bêta and PI3K-p110 Delta is an effective way to treat rheumatoid arthritis in small animal models. Under the terms of the agreement, the team will further interrogate the mechanism by which Karus Therapeutics’ PI3K-p110 Bêta and PI3K-p110 Delta inhibitors impact on neutrophil function and immune responses, with the aim of developing more effective treatments for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Financial terms: Financial terms were not disclosed.
Latest news:
