The University of Michigan (U-M) has signed an exclusive patent license and sponsored research agreement with GMP Companies, Inc., through its subsidiary GMP Immunotherapeutics, Inc., for a class of molecules designed to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and some forms of cancer. GMP Immunotherapeutics will collaborate with Gary Glick, PhD, U-M’s Werner E. Bachmann professor of chemistry and professor of biological chemistry, and Anthony Opipari, Jr., MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at U-M’s Medical School, to conduct additional studies.<\/p>\n
The U-M technology involves the application of benzodiazepine derivatives against a new molecular target. This approach forms the basis of a therapeutic platform to treat autoimmune diseases where the balance of cell proliferation and programmed cell death (apoptosis) has been disrupted. In tests in animal models of human lupus and RA, U-M researchers found that the class of cytotoxic benzodiazepine compounds altered the progression of the diseases by selectively inducing apoptosis of the immune cells that mediate the disease process. “The hope is that, with a new therapeutic approach and improved selectivity, these benzodiazepine derivatives will significantly improve upon existing therapies for these diseases,” Glick says. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, more than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year and an estimated 1.4 million Americans have a form of the disease.<\/p>\n
Under terms of the agreement, GMP Immunotherapeutics has licensed the exclusive rights to the U-M technology for commercial applications worldwide. Over the next several years, GMP Immunotherapeutics will provide U-M with research funding, license fees, research milestone payments, and royalties based on the success of the drug candidates. The agreement represents the second license and collaboration between U-M and GMP Companies, according to Robin Rasor, director of licensing at U-M.<\/p>\n