Date: 2012-09-10
Type of information: Publication of results in a medical journal
phase: preclinical
Announcement: publication of preclinical data [1] Cook AD, Pobjoy J, Sarros S, Steidl S, Dürr M, Lacey DC, Hamilton JA. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor is a key mediator in inflammatory and arthritic pain. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2012) Jul 24 [Epub ahead of print]
[2] Onuora S. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor required for inflammatory and arthritic pain.
Nature Reviews Rheumatology (2012) [accepted manuscript]
[3] Cook AD, Pobjoy J, Steidl S, Dürr M, Braine AM, Turner AL, Lacey DC, Hamilton JA. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor is a key mediator in experimental osteoarthritis pain and disease development Arthritis Research & Therapy (2012) Aug 14 [Epub ahead of print]
Company: Morphosys (Germany)
Product: MOR103 (antibody targeting granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor - GM-CSF)
Action
mechanism: MOR103 is a HuCAL antibody against human GM-CSF, currently in development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Clinical safety and efficacy data from the concluded phase 1b/2a trial in RA will be published in the second half of September 2012.
In 2007, MorphoSys signed an agreement with the University of Melbourne, providing the company with an exclusive license to a patent family covering therapeutic uses of inhibitors of GM-CSF. The claims of the key patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,455,836) are directed to methods of ameliorating the effects of inflammation by administering to a patient an antibody directed against GM-CSF. In 2009, the existing relationship was expanded with an agreement to cooperate on investigating new therapeutic applications for MorphoSys\'s MOR103 program. As part of the expanded relationship, new patent applications have been filed, which are intended to broaden the scope of the anti-GM-CSF approach.
Disease:
Therapeutic area: Autoimmune diseases - Inflammatory diseases
Country:
Trial details:
Latest
news: MorphoSys and the University of Melbourne have announced the publication of two research papers that underline the therapeutic potential of antibodies targeting granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The papers provide evidence that GM-CSF is a key mediator of inflammatory, arthritic and osteoarthritic pain. GM-CSF is the target molecule of MorphoSys\'s MOR103 program, a HuCAL antibody, which is currently in development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Clinical safety and efficacy data from the phase 1b/2a trial in RA will be published shortly.
The first publication[1] reports an investigation into the involvement of GM-CSF in inflammatory and arthritic pain. The study assessed the development of pain in a widely used model of inflammatory pain as well as in two inflammatory arthritis models, using mice lacking the GM-CSF gene. In these studies, GM-CSF was shown to be absolutely required for pain development in both the inflammatory pain and arthritis models. The findings were further highlighted in a commentary published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology[2].
A second publication[3] reports on a study that looked at the role of GM-CSF in experimental osteoarthritis and the pain associated with this disease. Therapeutic neutralization of GM-CSF using an antibody alleviated joint pain within three days and led to significantly reduced cartilage damage. The research team at the University of Melbourne was led by Professor John Hamilton and Dr. Andrew Cook.
In conclusion, the research showed that GM-CSF is a key mediator of inflammatory pain, including arthritic pain, and is essential for experimental osteoarthritis and the associated pain.
