FUJIFILM: Treatment of eye diseases with iPS: Technology licensed to BlueRock
-Technology licensed to Bayer subsidiary “BlueRock Therapeutics”-
Fujifilm:
May 18th, “License option right to use iPS cells for drug discovery”,
“It will be provided to the US subsidiary of Bayer, a major German pharmaceutical company.”
BlueRock Therapeutics:
BlueRock Therapeutics is studying “therapeutic methods for eye diseases using iPS cells” at the non-clinical stage.
iPS cell drug discovery license:
The lump sum is 70 million dollars (about 7.6 billion yen).
If BlueRock Therapeutics exercises the option right
Fujifilm receives about 10% of sales royalties.
FCDI and Opsis:
iPS cell culture and sales subsidiary: Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics (FCDI),
Development company of retinal disease treatment method: “Opsis Therapeutics”,
The above two companies are the technology providers of drug discovery licenses.
Cooperation system of three companies:
“Age-related macular degeneration” and “retinitis pigmentosa”
We aim to “treat intractable eye diseases that lead to blindness using iPS cells.”
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC187BA0Y1A510C2000000/
BlueRock Therapeutics, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, and Opsis Therapeutics Enter into a Strategic R&D Alliance to Discover and Develop Cell Therapies for Eye Diseases
Cambridge, Mass., and Madison, Wis. [May 17, 2021]
BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer AG,
FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc. a leading global developer and manufacturer of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technologies,
Opsis Therapeutics, LLC, a joint venture of FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics (FCDI)
David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder, focusing on developing cell therapies for patients with ocular diseases,
today announced that they have entered into a strategic research and development (R&D) alliance.
As part of the alliance,
the companies will combine their collective expertise to discover and develop off-the-shelf iPS cell therapies for ocular diseases.
Under this agreement,
BlueRock Therapeutics
will have the option to exclusively license from both parties three (3) retinal cell therapy programs focused on
dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) containing human retinal pigment epithelial cells
photoreceptor cells, currently in pre-clinical development.
BlueRock Therapeutics, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, and Opsis Therapeutics Enter into a Strategic R&D Alliance to Discover and Develop Cell Therapies for Eye Diseases
Cambridge, Mass., and Madison, Wis. [May 17, 2021]
BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer AG,
FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc. a leading global developer and manufacturer of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technologies,
Opsis Therapeutics, LLC, a joint venture of FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics (FCDI)
David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder, focusing on developing cell therapies for patients with ocular diseases,
today announced that they have entered into a strategic research and development (R&D) alliance.
As part of the alliance,
the companies will combine their collective expertise to discover and develop off-the-shelf iPS cell therapies for ocular diseases.
Under this agreement,
BlueRock Therapeutics
will have the option to exclusively license from both parties three (3) retinal cell therapy programs focused on
dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) containing human retinal pigment epithelial cells
photoreceptor cells, currently in pre-clinical development.
“Millions of patients around the world today are suffering from permanent vision loss as a result of incurable ocular diseases,” states Nick Manusos, Chief Executive Officer, Opsis Therapeutics.
Fujifilm [Japan]