Charles River and Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals: Joint Venture

By Andrea: http://nursingoncologyjob.com

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL), a drug development company, has entered into an exclusive, long-term marketing and distribution agreement with Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

Under this agreement, Charles River has become the exclusive, global provider for Transposagen's p53 and Bcrp TGEM Knockout Rat Models and associated downstream services utilizing these models. The companies have also agreed to a R&D collaboration, whereas scientific management from both companies will hold technical discussions and cooperatively work towards the creation of select, new genetically modified rat models.

The exclusive license for these two research model lines expands Charles River's portfolio of research models and services to offer knockout rat models, an emerging tool in drug discovery and development research, to its pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and government clients, the company said.

Transposagen's TGEM model, the p53 TGEM Knockout Rat Model, is expected to be a valuable tool in oncology research as it is believed that the Tp53 gene (tumor protein 53) is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers. The p53 TGEM Knockout Rat Model is also the only fully phenotyped p53 knockout rat model commercially available, the company added.

Iva Morse, corporate vice president of global research model services at Charles River, said: "Charles River is extremely pleased to offer knockout rat models to our clients for the first time by partnering with Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, a leader in the creation of genetically modified
rat models. Knockout rat models are a new and emerging tool in drug discovery and development, and Transposagen's p53 and Bcrp TGEM Knockout Rat Models are expected to become widely accepted for research in oncology and other therapeutic areas."

Novel Kinase Inhibitors: Oncology Research Update

By Andrea: http://nursingoncologyjob.com

ArQule, Inc. (ARQL) and Daiichi Sankyo Co. recently announced that they will expand on their current research and development to continue the exploration of novel kinase inhibitors in Oncology:

ArQule, Inc. (ARQL) and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. today announced the expansion of their research, development and license agreement for the discovery of novel kinase inhibitors in the field of oncology. This expanded agreement establishes a third therapeutic target, with an option for a fourth, in the field of oncology, and it includes a two-year extension based on the application of the proprietary ArQule Kinase Inhibitor Platform (AKIP(TM)) technology.

"This technology has provided us with a unique and innovative approach for discovery in the treatment of cancer," said Dr. Hideyuki Haruyama, the Global Head of Research, Daiichi Sankyo. "We expect that the expansion of this collaboration will produce other drug candidates and lay the foundation for future growth in this field."

Consistent with the existing AKIP(TM) collaboration, the economic terms provided for in the expanded agreement include payments for research support, licensing fees for compounds discovered as a result of this research, milestone payments related to clinical development, regulatory review and sales, and tiered royalty payments on net sales of each product. Daiichi Sankyo will have an option to license compounds directed to the targets defined under the agreement following the completion of certain pre-clinical studies. ArQule retains the option to co-commercialize any resulting licensed products in the U.S.

"Our initial drug discovery collaboration has identified a development candidate for one target, and we are optimizing advanced lead compounds for the other target," said Dr. Thomas C.K. Chan, chief scientific officer of ArQule. "The expansion of this collaboration will continue to deploy AKIP technology to discover inhibitors with novel modes of action for additional oncology targets over the next two years."