Research Collaboration with Rockefeller University

RNS Number : 2600N

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC

08 May 2018

 

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals Plc 

("Hemogenyx" or the "Company")

Research Collaboration with Rockefeller University

Collaboration targeting potential new treatments for Lupus using Hemogenyx's humanized mice

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals Plc (LSE: HEMO), the biotechnology company developing novel therapies to transform bone marrow, or blood stem cell, transplantation for the treatment of blood diseases, announces that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with The Rockefeller University ("Rockefeller"), one of the world's foremost research institutions, with 82 labs dedicated to basic and translational bioscience and strong commitment to using the power of basic science to further the development of new medicines and reduce human suffering. The collaboration calls for scientists at Rockefeller to use Hemogenyx's new type of humanized mice for autoimmune disease modelling in an effort to develop new treatments for autoimmune diseases - specifically Lupus.

Under the agreement, the collaborative work will be co-led by investigators at Hemogenyx and Rockefeller. Professor Alexander Tarakhovsky, a member of Hemogenyx's Scientific Advisory Board and Head of Rockefeller's Laboratory of Immune Cell Epigenetics and Signaling, will act as the principal investigator for Rockefeller. Dr. Vladislav Sandler, CEO & Co-Founder of Hemogenyx, will act as the principal investigator for Hemogenyx. The Directors of Hemogenyx are confident that the collaboration does not require forms of funding that would be dilutive to Hemogenyx shareholders.

Dr. Sandler commented: "This agreement with Rockefeller has the potential to extend our product candidate opportunities into a new and exciting area, and we would fully expect to see the work funded through future non-dilutive grant funding. Shareholders can now also see the potential for the use of our technology beyond our current bone marrow transplantation focus to treat debilitating and otherwise incurable autoimmune diseases such as Lupus."

Lupus is a devastating and life-changing autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissues, resulting in symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, and damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart, and lungs. The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million Americans, and at least five million people worldwide, have a form of Lupus. Lupus currently has no cure and strikes mostly women of childbearing age. Most people with Lupus develop the disease between the ages of 15-44.

The first stage of the development work will create a mouse model using novel proprietary methods of mice humanization developed by Hemogenyx. By using blood stem cells from subgroups of patients with the early onset of Lupus, the project hopes to create mice that emulate the human symptoms of Lupus. The second stage will then focus on the development of multi-specific antibodies and cell therapies to treat the disease in these mice.

Added Dr. Sandler: "The attractiveness of our new type of humanized mice to major biotechnology companies and leading research institutes will give us further opportunities to collaborate on other disease models and specific drug development."

On 26 February 2018, the Company confirmed the filing of a provisional patent application relating to its development of a new type of humanized mice with a chimeric mouse-human blood system.

Enquiries:

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals Limited		www.hemogenyx.com
Dr Vladislav Sandler, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder		Via Walbrook PR
Sir Marc Feldmann, Executive Chairman
Optiva Securities Ltd		Tel: [phone]
Christian Dennis
Shard Capital Partners LLP		Tel: [phone]
Damon Heath, Erik Woolgar
Peterhouse Corporate Finance Limited		Tel: [phone]
Lucy Williams, Duncan Vasey
Walbrook PR (UK Media & Investor Relations)	Tel: [phone] or [e-mail]
Paul McManus	Mob: [phone]
US Media enquiries
Lowell Goodman	Tel: [phone] or [e-mail]

About Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals Plc

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals Plc is a publicly traded company (LSE: HEMO) headquartered in London, with its wholly owned U.S. operating subsidiary, HemoGenyx LLC, located in its state-of-the-art research facility in Brooklyn, New York. HemoGenyx is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies and treatments for blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. The company's leading technologies aim to change the way in which bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell (BM/HSC) transplants are performed and improve their efficacy. HemoGenyx's two distinct and complementary products include an immunotherapy product for patient conditioning-the CDX bi-specific antibody-and a cell therapy product for BM/HSC transplantation-the HuPHEC. Each of these products holds the potential to revolutionize the way BM/HSC transplants are being performed, offering solutions that mitigate the dangers and limitations associated with the current standard of care. For more information, visit www.hemogenyx.com.

 

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