Breakthrough Biomaterial For Heart Repair Licensed By Major Drug Co
Breakthrough Biomaterial For Heart Repair Licensed By Major Drug Co
July 8, 2009
NEW YORK, July 8, 2009 — Breakthrough biomaterial developed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is now being licensed by a major drug company, Ikaria Holdings, Inc.
Ikaria and BioLineRx Ltd. announced that Ikaria has entered into an agreement to obtain a worldwide exclusive license to BL-1040, a potential breakthrough treatment for preventing pathological cardiac remodeling following acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Professor Smadar Cohen, chair of the Department of Biotechnology Engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Professor Jonathan Leor of Tel Aviv University invented BL-1040.
BioLineRx in-licensed the technology in 2005 from BGU through B.G. Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd.
Currently in a phase I/II clinical trial, BL-1040 is an algae-based substance administered through the coronary artery during standard catheterization and flows into the damaged heart muscle, where it forms a protective “scaffold” that enhances the mechanical strength of the heart muscle during recovery and repair.
“The acquisition of the rights to BL-1040 reinforces our commitment to deliver novel treatments to critically ill patients around the world,” commented Daniel Tasse, president and chief executive officer of Ikaria.
“Millions of patients suffer from MI each year, and BL-1040 represents the potential of an exciting solution to the problem of ventricular remodeling following AMI, for which the unmet need remains very high.”
Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said, “Over the years, our donors have watched Prof. Smadar Cohen develop this technology and we couldn’t be more pleased and proud that now it will be shared from the desert for the world.”
About Ikaria Holdings, Inc.
Ikaria Holdings, Inc. is a biotherapeutics company whose acute care products and therapies address the significant unmet needs of critically ill patients. The company’s lead product, INOmax(R) (nitric oxide) for inhalation, is the only FDA-approved drug for the treatment of hypoxic respiratory failure in term and near-term newborns.
Ikaria is headquartered in Clinton, New Jersey, with research facilities in Seattle, Washington and Madison, Wisconsin and a manufacturing facility in Port Allen, Louisiana. For more information, visit www.ikaria.com.
BioLineRx, a clinical stage drug development company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: BLRX), is dedicated to building a robust pipeline of promising therapeutics for unmet medical needs.
The company’s leading programs are BL-1020 for the treatment of schizophrenia and BL-1040 for the treatment of damaged heart tissue post-acute myocardial infarction. BioLineRx was founded in 2003 by leaders in the Israeli life science arena, including Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and venture capital firms. For more information, visit www.biolinerx.com.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
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