Typically, I use this space to highlight a particular discovery or new deal. But the past six months in OMRF’s Office of Technology Ventures have seen such a tide of exciting developments that, instead, I’ll take more of a holiday approach and celebrate the many gifts under our proverbial tree.
Sickle cell disease
First, we’re seeing steady growth in the use of Adakveo, Novartis’ first-in-class treatment for pain crises in sickle cell disease. Based on the research of OMRF’s Dr. Rod McEver, Adakveo is now approved in more than 40 countries. For the first half of 2022, Adakveo saw net sales of almost $89 million, an increase of 12% over the same period in 2021. Most importantly, this monoclonal antibody therapy is now bringing relief to patients who live with the debilitating and life-threatening blood disease.
Brain Cancer
Another OMRF discovery, the investigational drug OKN-007, continues to undergo Phase II clinical testing at 13 sites in the U.S. as an I.V. treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. A Phase I trial for naïve glioblastoma is also underway, and a third trial to test a pill form of the drug is expected to begin enrollment in the coming months. In addition, an intermediate-sized expanded access program is ongoing for patients who have completed standard radiotherapy for diffuse midline glioma, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Finally, OMRF’s licensee, Oblato, Inc., has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for OKN-007 as a treatment for DIPG. This designation, along with a previous Rare Pediatric Disease designation the company previously received for DIPG, should speed the regulatory approval process as the company begins trials of OKN-007 to treat this rare pediatric cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of approximately 2%.
Autoimmune disease
The National Institutes of Health has selected OMRF to lead a nationwide public-private partnership aimed at developing more effective treatments for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Judith James, who in October was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, will chair the $58.5 million program. Known as AMP AIM, the partnership involves the NIH, biopharmaceutical and life-science companies, nonprofit disease foundations, and 52 research institutions.
Working with Dr. James and her team, the Office of Technology Ventures has developed a modified uniform biological material transfer agreement that will enable material and data sharing among participants. By removing barriers to collaboration, we hope to speed the process of identifying new therapeutic targets for conditions that include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Covid-19
Dr. Kenneth Smith has developed a monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The antibody has been shown to be effective against the Wuhan, alpha, delta, epsilon and omicron strains of the virus. We’ve filed for patent protection on this novel antibody, which we’ve also submitted to CoVIC, the Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CoVIC seeks to streamline and accelerate the research pipeline for antibody-based therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2.
Welcoming Dr. Simanti Das
What better way to ring in the holidays than to welcome a new team member? Okay, technically, Dr. Simanti Das joined us in July. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she did her graduate work in cancer biology, she’s hit the ground running at OMRF.
As an MTA specialist, she’s worked with our scientists and academic and industry partners to facilitate the transfer of biological materials that are at the center of our research collaborations. Going forward, like every member of our team, we ultimately expect her to become involved in all aspects of Technology Ventures at OMRF.
For 2023, that’s our hope for you, too: to connect and collaborate, both with us and with colleagues the world around.
Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays and a healthy, discovery-filled New Year!
Kindest regards,
Andrew Westmuckett, Ph.D.
Director, Technology Ventures
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