|
On April 9, 2003 NsGene A/S and Neurotech SA, both
privately held biotechnology companies, signed a revised license
agreement, which expands the rights of NsGene and grants a world wide
exclusive license to encapsulated cell technology (ECT) for the
nervous system.
The agreement replaces prior agreements between the parties,
simplifies the division of fields and eliminates the cross-royalty
obligations allowing both NsGene and Neurotech to focus on core areas,
developing ECT products for the nervous system and the eye
respectively.
This agreement solidifies the collaborative relationship between
the two companies by streamlining the technology transfer process and
refining the sharing of patent portfolio maintenance costs, thus
maximising the probability of success for the development and
commercialisation of ECT products in each company's area of
excellence. NsGene has been granted exclusive rights to an extensive
patent portfolio encompassing 35 patent families, which dominates the
field of making and using encapsulated cells to treat nervous system
disorders. Neurotech, who is poised to initiate a phase I trial in the
United States using ECT for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa,
will make a full transfer to NsGene of technology and know-how
relating to the development and manufacture of clinical ECT devices.
Dr. Teit E. Johansen, CEO and president of NsGene, said, "With the
ECT, we will be able to deliver therapeutic proteins, including our
proprietary factor Neublastin, to the nervous system. This allows for
the development of several products with enormous therapeutic
potential for otherwise untreatable neurological disorders. Both
companies are committed to the technology and will interact on further
technology development and manufacturing, thereby increasing the
likelihood of success while reducing development costs".
As many diseases of the nervous system are today incurable and highly
debilitating there is a great medical need for new therapeutic
products that are disease modifying and not only for symptomatic use.
Many therapeutic proteins have been shown to be efficacious in animal
models of neurological diseases but have not been successfully
developed because of the need for localised and long-term delivery
within the diseased area. The ECT is a technology that overcomes this
barrier to development.
In the ECT, living cells that produce therapeutic factors are enclosed
behind a semi-permeable membrane in an implantable catheter-like
device. The membrane allows for the therapeutic factor to exit and for
nutrients to enter but prevents the modified cells to directly
interact with the host. This prevents immune rejection and allows the
cells to survive and function for long periods of time within the
device. The containment of the cells is one of the strong advantages
of the product as it allows for the retrieval and reversal of the
treatment, thereby ensuring patient safety.
The ECT is a clinically proven technology that has been further
developed by NsGene and Neurotech to form a product platform that is
clinically safe and efficacious. Several products can thus be
relatively rapidly moved into the clinic to treat diseases of the
nervous system and the eye.
Since cells can be genetically modified to secrete almost any protein
or biological factor, the ECT is an extremely powerful technology
platform, strongly and broadly patented, with the potential of
generating a broad product pipeline in multiple therapeutic areas.
Unlike competing gene therapy and stem cell approaches, the ECT allows
for the removal of the implanted cells offering great safety and
product advantages.
NsGene A/S is a privately held Danish biotechnology company
founded in December 1999 as a spin-out from NeuroSearch A/S, a Danish
pharmaceutical company. NsGene develops cell- and gene-based products
focusing on the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's
and Alzheimer's disease. The development focus is on ECT products to
treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The research focus is on
the discovery of novel genes and cells, including neural stem cells,
relevant for the treatment of neurological disorders. Both the
development and research programs are performed in close collaboration
with the Company's exclusive academic collaborators including the team
that pioneered neural transplantation for Parkinson's disease at the
University of Lund, Sweden.
NsGene collaborates with the American biotech company Biogen Inc.
regarding the development of NsGene's nerve growth factor - Neublastin
- for the treatment of diseases in the peripheral nervous system.
NsGene employs 24 people with most in R&D.
NsGene A/S
Teit E. Johansen, Ph.D.
President & CEO
tej@nsgene.dk
tel: +45 4460 8948
fax: +45 4460 8989
|
|
