Newswise — The University of Alabama announced today a collaborative research and licensing agreement with QRxPharma, a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company (ASX: QRX), whose preclinical and clinical pipeline includes technologies in the fields of pain management and central nervous system disorders.
The UA/QRxPharma research program is directed at re-engineering existing drug therapies for new clinical applications including the treatment of dystonia, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.
"Strategic partnerships between universities and businesses benefit society by accelerating the movement of discoveries from academic labs to the market," said UA President Robert E. Witt. "Secondarily, this mutually beneficial alliance builds our research capabilities while demonstrating the effectiveness of our technology transfer enterprise."
"We were looking for a long-term collaborative relationship, not just a licensing deal for our technology," said Dr. William Gathings, director of the Office for Technology Transfer at UA. "This partnership fulfills our service to society mission and enhances our research capabilities and reputation, building upon earlier discoveries from Drs. Guy and Kim Caldwell. It also creates a potential revenue stream if these technologies are successfully developed and commercialized." Caldwell Lab research at UA has drawn support from such organizations as: the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research; the Parkinson Association of Alabama; the Parkinson's Disease Foundation; the National Parkinson Foundation; the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation; and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. John Holaday, who serves as managing director and CEO of QRxPharma, is an internationally recognized neuropharmacology research scientist with more than 200 publications in this area of investigation, and more than 30 patents. In addition, he is widely known as co-founder of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (MRX-NYSE) and EntreMed (ENMD, NASDAQ), two publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies. Holaday earned a bachelor's and master's from UA, and subsequently served for over two decades at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, as a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as well the Uniformed University School of the Health Sciences.
"I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work with my alma mater, where I remain as an active alumnus," said Holaday. "Discoveries at the Caldwell Laboratory point to a new direction of treating neurodegenerative disorders at their root cause and not simply controlling the effects of disease."
The technology licensed relates to a particular gene shown to suppress the harmful misfolding of proteins within cells. Many neurological diseases, including Parkinson's, dystonias, Huntington's, Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (known as ALS) and Alzheimer's involve the toxic effects of misfolded proteins that kill critical nerve cells in the brain of afflicted patients.
Preclinical research at The University of Alabama demonstrated that co-expression of a gene coding for a protein named Torsin decreases the misfolding of other proteins associated with neurological diseases. QRxPharma's goal, based on the work at the Caldwell Laboratory, is to work with their laboratory to re-engineer existing drugs with a known history of use that activate the Torsin system which potentially could ameliorate these diseases at a causative level.
"Their approach was perfectly aligned with our drug development strategy," said Holaday. "Repurposing existing drugs for new clinical uses shortens transitions from the laboratory to the market providing for abbreviated development paths, earlier treatments for patients, more efficient regulatory approvals and new commercialization value."
As part of the agreement, Guy and Kim Caldwell, both professors in UA's department of biological sciences, will serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of QRxPharma. Dr. Laura Berkowitz has been hired by UA to manage company-directed research aimed at repurposing specific drugs.
About The University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians. UA's department of biological sciences is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University's largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the "USA Today" Academic All American Teams.
About QRxPharmaQRxPharma is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company with a primary focus on the development and commercialization of pain therapy products. The company's lead products comprise a patented combination of existing drugs, with a well defined path to regulatory approval and sales. QRxPharma's lead drug compound, Q8003IR, is intended to begin Phase III clinical trials in 2007. The company's preclinical and clinical pipeline includes other technologies in the fields of neurodegenerative disease and venomics.
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