Grant
Apogenix GmbH has received federal research grants of €2.6 million as one of the companies belonging to the Biotechnology Cluster Rhine-Neckar (BioRN).
The grant comes from the €40 million the BioRN cluster was awarded in 2008 when it was judged to be one of the five most important German high-tech regions in the Top Cluster Contest held by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The funds will be dedicated to two of Apogenix’s research projects in cancer and inflammatory diseases. The first programme focuses on the development of an IL-4 inhibitor for the treatment of cancer, especially solid tumours that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.
IL-4 is a cytokine expressed by cancer cells and cancer stem cells, which blocks the process of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, and thereby renders chemotherapy or radiation ineffective. Apogenix’s approach aims to block the IL-4 receptor on cancer cells to make them susceptible to treatment. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the research group of Prof Peter Krammer at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ).
The second programme aims to develop inhibitors of the CD95 ligand (CD95L) in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. CD95 induces migration of inflammatory cells. Apogenix will explore the potential of its compound APG103 and additional CD95 inhibitors, generating preclinical data, in collaboration with the research group of Dr Ana Martin-Villalba at DKFZ.
Both programmes include optimisation, manufacturing and characterisation of novel IL-4 and CD95L inhibitors, and pharmacological, pharmacokinetic, safety and mechanism of action studies. Apogenix’s goal is to advance the most promising IL-4 and CD95L inhibitors into clinical development. The company was spun out of DKFZ in Heidelburg in 2005.
Thomas Höger, Chief Executive Officer of Apogenix, said “The grants underline the quality and the potential of the research activities of both Apogenix and its collaboration partners at the German Cancer Research Center. With these funds, we hope to accelerate our programmes and provide improved treatment options for patients with cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases.”
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