BERLIN, Dec. 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Jerini AG (Frankfurt:JI4) announced today that Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, signed a research collaboration agreement with University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology to investigate the pathobiology of AMD (age-related macular degeneration). The collaboration will explore the novel signaling pathways targeted by two of Jerini Ophthalmic's leading drug candidates: JSM 6427, an integrin antagonist, and JPE 1375, an inhibitor of the complement cascade. Under the terms of the agreement, Jerini Ophthalmic will finance full-time equivalents (FTE) and research costs over three years at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and has certain exclusive rights over the intellectual property generated through the collaboration.
The projects will be conducted in collaboration with UCL's new Translational Vision Research Laboratory, headed by David T. Shima, PhD, who was recently appointed Rothes Professor at UCL. David Shima is also serving as Chief Scientific Officer for Jerini Ophthalmic.
"Our collaboration with David Shima and UCL gives Jerini Ophthalmic access to the best resources and expertise available in the field of ophthalmology," said Anthony P. Adamis, CEO and President of Jerini Ophthalmic. "Working closely with the exceptional UCL research infrastructure will enable us to optimally develop and advance our ophthalmology drug candidates."
Drs. Adamis and Shima, former executives at Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, together helped lead the development, FDA approval, and commercialization of Macugen, the first pharmacologic treatment for AMD.
Professor Phil Luthert, Director of UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, said, "The opportunity to work closely with Jerini Ophthalmic on the research and development of new drug candidates is very exciting for us. It is precisely this kind of initiative that will facilitate the rapid transition of university-based research from the laboratory to the clinic to the benefit of patients around the world."
About AMD
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55. Age is the primary risk factor for AMD, and its prevalence will increase dramatically with the aging baby-boomer population. Significant vision loss develops when afflicted eyes go on to develop advanced AMD, characterized by either abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage, or retinal atrophy.
About Jerini Ophthalmic
Jerini's wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Jerini Ophthalmic, Inc., focuses on the rapid development of novel, highly specific therapeutics for eye diseases and extended-release formulations for chronic eye diseases. The company develops select compounds from Jerini's P2D technology platform, which target pathways associated with ophthalmic disease indications.
About Jerini AG
Jerini is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany, focusing on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel peptide-based drugs. The company pursues disease indications that have limited or no treatment options and has built a drug pipeline composed of its own programs, as well as others in collaboration with established partners. Jerini has completed Phase III clinical trials of Icatibant in the subcutaneous treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). In August 2007, the company's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) was accepted for review by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) and granted accelerated assessment. In October 2007, Jerini filed a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requesting priority review. Based on its technology platform, Jerini has also established several in-house development programs, which address indications within the therapeutic areas of ophthalmology, oncology, and inflammatory disease.
About UCL
Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture, and medicine. In the government's most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence. Included in the top ten world universities in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings, UCL is also the fourth-ranked UK university in the 2007 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of the band Coldplay.
ISIN: DE0006787476