Date: 2014-06-23
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: BL-1110
Company: BioLineRx (Israel) University of Colorado (USA -CO)
Therapeutic area: CNS diseases - Autoimmune diseases
Type agreement: licensing
Action mechanism: BL-1110, developed by BioLineRx under its Early Development Program and previously known as EDP 34, is an orally-administered small molecule designed to block the binding of morphine to the toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) on glial cells. Research shows that besides the activity of opioids on opioid receptors in the neurons, opioids cause activation of glial cells via the TLR4 signaling pathway, which activation results in the release of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory factors that suppress the desired opioid-induced neuronal analgesic effect, thereby reducing the efficacy of the opioid. Furthermore, evidence suggests that glial activation by opioids contributes to the negative side effects of opioid therapy, such as tolerance, dependence and reward associated with drug abuse. BL-1110 prevents morphine- binding to TLR4 receptors on glial cells, resulting in an enhanced analgesic effect and reduced side effects. BL-1110, which was invented by Prof. Linda R. Watkins from the Psychology and Neuroscience Department, and Prof. Hang Hubert Yin from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department – both from the University of Colorado at Boulder, blocks the interaction of morphine with glial cells, thereby enhancing the analgesic effect of morphine, and reducing concurrent adverse effects and inflammatory processes.
Disease:
Details: * On June 23, 2014, BioLineRx, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, in-licensing and developing promising therapeutic candidates, announced it has in-licensed BL-1110, a novel compound for the treatment of neuropathic pain. BL-1110 may also be developed for the treatment of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease characterized by a hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. The compound, which had been previously developed as part of BioLineRx’s Early Development Program under the name EDP-34, was in-licensed from the University of Colorado.
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