Archive: Company News
Company News: InDex Pharmaceuticals Develops Companion Diagnostic Test for New Ulcerative Colitis Therapy
– Personalized treatment option for patients with refractory ulcerative colitis –
InDex Pharmaceuticals today announced the development of a companion diagnostic test for Kappaproct®. Kappaproct, the lead product candidate of InDex, is currently in a phase III study as a treatment for chronic active, treatment refractory ulcerative colitis. In this study, the companion diagnostic test is being evaluated to demonstrate a correlation between test result and clinical response to Kappaproct.
In previous clinical trials, Kappaproct has shown positive effects for the treatment of steroid resistant ulcerative colitis patients. The companion diagnostic test aims to enable the pre-selection of steroid resistant patients that are most likely to benefit from Kappaproct. The proprietary in vitro test is based on a number of biomarkers and is performed on a blood sample prior to administration of Kappaproct.
A companion diagnostic is designed to assess whether a patient will respond favorably to a specific medical treatment or not. Companion diagnostics are a crucial element of personalized medicine, which is becoming increasingly important along with the demand for safer and more efficacious medicines. Companion diagnostics also reduce healthcare costs as the use of ineffective therapies can be avoided.
In 2009, InDex Pharmaceuticals launched the diagnostic test DiBiCol® in Sweden. DiBiCol differentiates between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Company News: bubbles & beyond and Fraunhofer Center Nanoelectronic Technologies collaborate on the development of novel, eco-friendly cleaning solutions for microelectronics
bubbles & beyond, a technology company focusing on customized intelligent fluids®, and Fraunhofer Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), Dresden, today announced their collaboration to jointly develop novel cleaning solutions for the microelectronics industry.
During the two-year collaboration, bubbles & beyond and Fraunhofer Center Nanoelectronic Technologies will create novel decoating products for semiconductor applications with the goal to provide a more efficient, more cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to currently available surface treatments, which are primarily composed of aggressive chemicals. The novel cleaning approach is based on bubbles & beyond’s proprietary phase fluid technology (intelligent fluids®), which is already used successfully for other microelectronic applications. Fraunhofer CNT brings the necessary semiconductor expertise, the respective research know-how and comprehensive, highly precise measurement analysis to the project.
The collaboration focuses on the assessment and optimization of the efficacy of customized cleaning solutions. Moreover, semiconductor-specific criteria will be analyzed, e.g. critical materials, process stability and contamination risks. Based on the findings, it will be examined if the new technology is suitable for the removal of lithographic laquers. Subsequently, the assessment will be expanded to other process steps.
Company News: InDex Pharmaceuticals Starts Phase III COLLECT Study with Kappaproct®
– TLR9 Agonist for the Treatment of Chronic, Active, Treatment-Refractory Ulcerative Colitis –
InDex Pharmaceuticals today announced the start of the COLLECT trial, a European multicenter Phase III study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Kappaproct for the treatment of chronic active ulcerative colitis (UC) patients not responding to available therapy. Kappaproct is a DNA-based immunomodulatory sequence (DIMS) targeting the toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9).
UC is a chronic, relapsing-remitting disease caused by inflammation of the colon. Although current UC treatments are effective for many patients with mild to moderate disease, a significant unmet medical need still exists for patients with severe UC. Many of these patients have failed all available pharmaceutical therapies – therefore, surgical removal of the colon by partial or complete colectomy is currently the only remaining treatment option.
The primary endpoint of the COLLECT study is induction of clinical remission in these severe UC patients, who have failed all other medical treatments and have been elected for colectomy. Preliminary results are expected for Q1, 2014.
Company News: biocrea and Boehringer Ingelheim Conclude Asset Purchase Agreement
biocrea today announced the completion of an asset purchase and licensing deal with Boehringer Ingelheim. Under the terms of the agreement, biocrea will receive an undisclosed payment and will transfer the exclusive global rights for certain research programs originating from its phosphodiesterase (PDE) platform to Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes biocrea´s PDE2 inhibitors and its most advanced compound BCA909.
“This transaction marks a key milestone in the evolution of biocrea, which was created only about a year ago,” said Tom Kronbach, CEO of biocrea. ”Importantly, this deal demonstrates our ability to identify and validate disease-relevant novel mechanisms of action for which we create high-quality drug candidates. The proceeds from this agreement will allow us to implement our strategy to build a sustainable company over the next several years.”