Vivoryon Therapeutics AG / Key word(s): Patent
16.04.2020 / 07:00
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Vivoryon Therapeutics Starts Development Program for Meprin Protease Inhibitors with Intended Therapeutic Use in Fibrosis, Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease
HALLE (SAALE) / MUNICH and LEIPZIG, Germany, 16 April 2020 - Vivoryon Therapeutics AG (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY, ISIN DE0007921835) announced today that the Company has entered into a research collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) and acquired related patents from the Institute for a meprin protease inhibitor and assay platform. Under the guidance of PD Dr. Stephan Schilling, the Department of Drug Design and Target Validation will work together with Vivoryon to advance first-in-class small molecule meprin inhibitors. This collaboration will combine Vivoryon's expertise in translating basic research into marketable small molecule therapeutics with the department's focus on discovery and development of new therapeutics that target putative pathologic post-translational modifications.
The metal-dependent proteases, meprin alpha and meprin beta, are emerging targets in kidney protection, fibrotic diseases, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Increased meprin expression and their mislocalization has been associated with tissue damage and collagen deposition in fibrosis, which can result in the loss of organ function. Meprin-targeted protease inhibitors thus have the potential to not only target symptoms, but also treat a range of indications including acute and chronic kidney disease and multiple organ fibrosis.
Dr. Michael Schaeffer, CBO at Vivoryon Therapeutics AG noted: "The IP estate we have acquired from Fraunhofer IZI expands our current drug development portfolio and places us in a leading position to explore the full potential of meprin protease inhibitors. As a company, our goal is to consistently seek out opportunities that can further strengthen our pipeline with the ultimate vision of delivering novel therapies to patients in need. By working with Dr. Schilling and his team we are set to advance meprin inhibitors very quickly towards clinical testing in indications like fibrotic diseases or cancer."
PD Dr. Stephan Schilling, Head of Protein and Drug Biochemistry Unit at Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology added: "As the roles and functionality of meprin alpha and beta continue to become more distinguished through research, it is clear these metalloproteases represent interesting novel targets that could be developed into therapeutics for a variety of indications. As such, I am delighted that with this collaboration the groundbreaking research of our institute will eventually be translated into clinical programs by an experienced drug development company