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Orca, AstraZeneca launch partnership to develop potential new autoimmune treatment
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Orca Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca have announced the establishment of a 3-year partnership to investigate retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma inhibitors with the goal of creating an oral treatment for autoimmune diseases.
Retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma (RORγ) plays a role in the conversion of CD4+ T-cells into T-helper (TH17) cells that produce cytokines, and excessive activity of TH17 and other RORγ immune cells has been implicated in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a press release from Orca.
Orca, a biopharmaceutical company based in the U.K., has been working to identify compounds that could inhibit RORγ activity, according to the release.
Under the partnership agreement, AstraZeneca will gain access to the RORγ inhibitors developed by Orca. Scientists from both companies will work together to identify lead compounds to further investigate and determine which autoimmune conditions might be best-suited as candidates for treatment. Orca will receive an upfront payment in addition to milestone payments totaling $122.5 million, with an option for AstraZeneca to acquire the compounds following the collaboration.
“Respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune diseases represent a main therapeutic area for AstraZeneca,” Maarten Kraan, PhD, head of the Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases Innovative Medicines unit for AstraZeneca, said in the release. “We are delighted to be partnering with Orca Pharmaceuticals in this hot area of immunology science to help us create potentially best‐in‐class chemical assets and candidate drugs for patients who currently do not have any oral medicines available to treat their chronic conditions.”
Reference: www.orcapharmaceuticals.com.