The University of Aberdeen has struck another major deal with a drug development company to progress a brand new therapy which - if successful – could potentially revolutionise the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
Modern Biosciences plc has signed an exclusive worldwide licence agreement with the institution to further develop completely new treatments for this debilitating disease which causes painful inflammation of the joints and affects 165 million people or 1% of the worldwide population.
The drugs - which were initially discovered and developed by scientists at the University of Aberdeen - have still to be tested on patients although clinical trials are now expected to start within two years.
The researchers who developed the drugs have found that they work in a novel way to suppress the inflammatory process that is responsible for the development of bone and joint damage in patients with arthritis.
The researchers believe that the new drugs could provide an important alternative to anti-TNF therapy which is the most effective treatment currently available for rheumatoid arthritis, but is expensive and not available to all. Initial tests have shown that one advantage of the new drugs over existing anti-TNF therapy is that they can be taken in tablet form, rather than by injection.
The scientists – two of whom are now based at the University of Edinburgh – also say the new drugs appear to be able to prevent osteoporosis, which is a common complication of arthritis, at the same time as reducing joint inflammation and joint damage.
Dr Iain Greig, Medicinal Chemist at the University of Aberdeen - a world leading centre for bone research and translational medicine - said: "It is an amazing achievement for us to have discovered and developed a new drug candidate with such a small team of people. We were quite stunned when we first tested our compounds and realised their potential for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. We are delighted to be teaming up with Modern Biosciences, they have an astonishing amount of expertise and the future development of our findings could not be in better hands."
Cell biologist, Dr Rob van't Hof, now Senior Lecturer in Rheumatology at the University of Edinburgh and supported by the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) said: "We had strong backing from the University of Aberdeen and Scottish Enterprise's Proof of Concept Fund. After we identified the initial series of compounds, further studies in experimental models of arthritis provided strong evidence that the drugs we had developed were likely to be useful in patients with arthritis."
Dr Liz Rattray, Deputy Director, Research and Innovation Services at the University of Aberdeen, said: "The University of Aberdeen has supported this drug discovery project along with Scottish Enterprise and North East of Scotland Technology Fund as part of our knowledge transfer strategy to support projects which show industrial and clinical potential. It is therefore tremendous for us to be announcing this licensing and collaboration deal with Modern Biosciences, which recognises the quality of the research and knowledge transfer, and builds on the continuing success of the University of Aberdeen in life sciences. "
Professor Stuart Ralston, Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Edinburgh said: "The identification of these compounds represents an exciting step forward in the fight against arthritis. Our research so far has shown that the drugs work in a unique way and appear to offer potential advantages over existing treatments. We are delighted to be in partnership with Modern Biosciences to further develop this discovery and we very much hope that we will be in a position to start clinical trials with the new drugs in patients with arthritis over the next two years."
Dr Sam Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Modern Biosciences, said: "Our agreement with the University of Aberdeen is a perfect example of how Modern Biosciences is working with premier league research institutions to create value for their projects by applying our clinical development and project management expertise through to the stage of proof-of-concept in man. We look forward to working with the University in the years ahead."
Eleanor Taylor, who heads up the Proof of Concept Programme for Scottish Enterprise, said: "Our aim is to help researchers take their technology innovations out of the lab and turn their great ideas into world class businesses while ensuring the best possible commercial outcome for Scotland. We have supported a number of projects at the University of Aberdeen and are delighted that our investment in this case is helping to bring a therapy, which could potentially help millions of people, nearer to being available to the public.
"To date, the scheme has supported 185 groundbreaking projects and led to 38 spin-out/start-up companies and 34 licenses and our £30 million investment has generated £207 million extra for the Scottish economy.''
Under the terms of the agreement, the University will grant an exclusive worldwide license to Modern Biosciences for the development of its proprietary, small molecule compounds for the treatment of RA, other inflammatory conditions and osteoporosis. Modern Biosciences will fund and manage the development programme and revenues generated through the commercialisation of any resulting products will be shared by Modern Biosciences and the University.
Today's announcement consolidates once again the University of Aberdeen's growing reputation as a centre for excellence in life sciences.
It also comes just days after University of Aberdeen spinout Haptogen was acquired by top 10 pharma giant Wyeth in a major move that was welcomed by Scotland's First Minister.