BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oncomatrix, a biopharmaceutical company that develops biological treatments against invasive tumors, has licensed from National Jewish Health an intellectual property portfolio claiming the use of the human protein Cystatin-C to treat cancer. “We are committed to focusing our resources and enthusiasm to exploit the antitumoral activity of Cystatin-C in the development of a new generation of drugs to treat invasive tumors,” said Laureano Simon, PhD, CEO of Oncomatrix, SL.
Scientists from National Jewish Health led by Dr. William Schiemann, associate professor, co-director, Breast Cancer Program, now at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, had previously shown the antitumoral activity of Cystatin-C in vitro and in murine models. Cystatin C acts as an inhibitor of both Cystein-protease and TGFb. “National Jewish is a great source of inventions and discoveries that have the potential to transform the life of patients worldwide,” said Emmanuel Hilaire, PhD, Manager of the Technology Transfer Office at National Jewish Health. “With this agreement, we are very excited that Oncomatrix will be advancing the fruit of National Jewish research into the development of Cystatin-C therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer.”
Oncomatrix will use Cystatin-C to develop biological drugs to treat pancreas and invasive breast tumors. Scientists from Case Western Reserve University and other research centers in US and Europe will collaborate with Oncomatrix scientists in developing and validating these Cystatin-C based drugs.
The agreement was made public today in Boston, MA during the BIO International Convention, a gathering of the biotechnology industry and academic research institutions worldwide.
About Oncomatrix
Oncomatrix is focused on the development of new biopharmaceuticals targeting the tumor stroma. This innovative approach aims not to attack the tumor cells directly but rather the cells supporting the growth and invasiveness of the tumor.
About National Jewish Health
National Jewish Health is known worldwide for treatment of patients with respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders, and for groundbreaking medical research. Founded in 1899 as a nonprofit hospital, National Jewish Health remains the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to these disorders. U.S. News & World Report has ranked National Jewish the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation for 14 years in a row.
About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nation’s top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The School’s innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes--research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism--to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the school of medicine. Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. research-oriented medical schools as designated by U.S. News & World Report “Guide to Graduate Education.”
The School of Medicine’s primary affiliate is University Hospitals Case Medical Center and is additionally affiliated with MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic, with which it established the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in 2002. http://casemed.case.edu.
About Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located at Case Western Reserve University. The center, now in its 22nd year of funding, integrates the cancer research activities of the largest biomedical research and health care institutions in Ohio – Case Western Reserve, University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center. NCI-designated cancer centers are characterized by scientific excellence and the capability to integrate a diversity of research approaches to focus on the problem of cancer. It is led by Stanton Gerson, MD, Asa and Patricia Shiverick- Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology, director of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Case Western Reserve, and director of the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Case Medical Center.