Date: 2015-05-19
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: novel small molecule anti-cancer compounds active and selective against DYRK
Company: Diaxonhit (France) Felicitex Therapeutics (USA - MA)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: licensing
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On May 19, 2015, Diaxonhit, a French fully integrated leader in in vitro diagnostics, involved from research to commercialization of specialty diagnostic products in the fields of transplantation, infectious diseases and cancer, announced that it granted an exclusive worldwide license to Felicitex Therapeutics, a drug discovery company specializing in discovery and development of cancer treatments and diagnostic assays focused on quiescent cancer cells.
Building upon discoveries made with its SpliceArray™ proprietary technology, Diaxonhit developed a unique program targeting the DYRK enzyme, which is involved in several pathogenic pathways related to cell proliferation. Diaxonhit believes this program has a strong potential and found, with Felicitex, a partner who shares the same interest in this innovative approach toward treating cancer. With this agreement, Felicitex acquires the rights for oncology to a lead series of novel small molecule anti-cancer compounds, which are highly active and selective against DYRK as validated by Felicitex in a pancreatic cancer model.
The agreement is the culmination of a thorough due diligence process by both sides, as part of which Felicitex evaluated several members of the lead series in vitro and successfully demonstrated proof-of-concept efficacy in vivo in a pancreatic cancer mouse xenograft model. The molecules are high quality leads, defined by the accepted drug development lead likeness criteria, and provide Felicitex with an opportunity to obtain a clinical lead series and to nominate a candidate for IND-enabling studies in the near future.
Felicitex Therapeutics’ technology targets quiescent, non-responsive (resistant to therapy) cancer cells with two therapeutically beneficial outcomes – first making quiescent cancer cells vulnerable to conventional treatments and second preventing cancer cells from surviving in the quiescent state for indeterminate period of time and thereby delaying or eliminating cancer recurrence.
Felicitex’s scientific team at its Cambridge, MA laboratories will continue to apply its expertise in cancer cell quiescence, anti-cancer drug development, and diagnostic assays, along with Felicitex’s discovery partner, Selvita S.A. of Poland, who will utilize its expertise in medicinal and computational chemistry to optimize the acquired lead series.
Financial terms: Felicitex has paid an up-front fee and is responsible for annual licensing payments. Felicitex will also pay future milestone payments as a product covered by the licensing agreement reaches specific development milestones, and royalty payments, if and when the product is marketed.
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