Artios and Merck will develop cancer drugs based on know-how from Masaryk University.
Artios Pharma Ltd. and Merck KGaA recently announced a three-year research collaboration aimed at discovering and developing new cancer drugs. This collaborative agreement will also make use of results gained through cooperation with Masaryk University.
Two years ago, MU entered into a license agreement with Artios Pharma Ltd. dealing with the development of new treatments for cancer. This agreement enables cooperation of the university with this important investment partner in research focused on the inhibition of nucleases by patented compounds created in the laboratories of the scientific teams of Kamil Paruch and Lumír Krejčí at the Faculties of Science and Medicine, MU and FNUSA-ICRC.
The compounds developed are able to inhibit nucleases, i.e. enzymes involved in the repair of damaged DNA, a principle known as DNA Damage Response (DDR). Blocking this process in cancer cells leads to their destruction, hence these compounds have wide potential in the treatment of a wide range of tumours.
The university has worked for several years with the British company Artios, who helped the program both financially and scientifically. The professional expertise provided by Artios enabled us to make promising progress in the development of drugs for cancers related to DNA damage.
The newly announced collaboration between Artios and Merck, which will provide a preliminary investment of $ 30 million to the joint project, aims to develop several drugs with a targeted DDR action mechanism. The capital will provide additional funding for further research, to which the university has made a significant contribution with its know-how.
“We see this step as a very important milestone in the whole project. Only large pharmaceutical companies, such as Merck KGaA, are able to get new drugs through all phases of clinical trials and then bring them to market. It gives us great satisfaction that the results of our work (and the associated constant stress with raising funds for this type of research) have been sufficiently attractive to attract a global pharmaceutical company”, said Paruch and Krejčí.
“The exclusive license concluded between the university and Artios Pharma two years ago was one of the most important deals that the MU Technology Transfer Office has helped prepare. If the new partner and further research result in an innovative range of drugs over the coming years, Masaryk University will also receive significant revenues”, commented Radoslav Trautmann, Head of Masaryk University’s Technology Transfer Division, on the launch of the new agreement between these two leading foreign companies in cancer drug development.
Translated by Kevin Roche
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