Champions Biotechnology Licenses Bithionol from Yale University and Southern Research Institute

Champions Biotechnology, an oncology drug development company, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Yale University and Southern Research Institute for the development of Bithionol, a compound that shows potential for treating various types of cancer. Researchers at Yale and Southern Research discovered that Bithionol, initially used to treat helminthic infections, exhibits activity against solid cancerous tumors, including melanoma, prostate, breast, and lung cancer. Bithionol works by inhibiting Autotaxin (ATX), a prometastatic enzyme, which is linked to tumor aggressiveness and invasiveness. Under the agreement, Champions will develop Bithionol for all oncology indications, while Yale and Southern Research will receive upfront payments, milestone payments, and royalties. Champions will utilize its predictive Biomerk Tumorgraft platform to assess Bithionol's efficacy in combination with other compounds, aiming to accelerate clinical development.

Key Takeaways:

• Champions Biotechnology has secured an exclusive license to develop Bithionol, a compound initially used for helminthic infections, for all oncology indications.
• Yale University and Southern Research Institute researchers discovered that Bithionol inhibits Autotaxin (ATX), a prometastatic enzyme linked to tumor aggressiveness and invasiveness.
• Bithionol has shown potential for treating various types of cancer, including melanoma, prostate, breast, and lung cancer.
• Champions will utilize its predictive Biomerk Tumorgraft platform to assess Bithionol's efficacy in combination with other compounds, aiming to accelerate clinical development.
• The agreement includes upfront payments, milestone payments, and royalties for Yale and Southern Research Institute.
• This is the third compound to be licensed into Champions' pipeline, following the in-licensing of TAR-1, a single-chain antibody fragment, from Ramot at Tel Aviv University.
• Southern Research Institute's mission aligns with the licensing opportunity, focusing on basic and translational research that leads to new drug approvals.
• The research was partially funded by the Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health.

Statistics:

• 3 compounds have been licensed into Champions' pipeline, including Bithionol and TAR-1.
• Bithionol has shown potential for treating at least 4 types of cancer: melanoma, prostate, breast, and lung cancer.
• 2 institutions, Yale University and Southern Research Institute, have collaborated on the development of Bithionol.
• 1 grant, the Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant, has partially funded the research.
• 1 upfront payment and milestone payments, as well as royalties, will be paid to Yale and Southern Research Institute.

Sources:

• Angiogenesis Weekly editors, "Champions Biotechnology Licenses Bithionol from Yale University and Southern Research Institute," Copyright 2009, Angiogenesis Weekly via NewsRx.com.