Antisoma licenses anticancer treatment from Betagenon

Licence agreement

Cancer drug developer Antisoma and Betagenon, a privately held Swedish biotechnology company, have announced that Antisoma has licensed rights to develop and commercialise Betagenon’s AMPK (AMP activated protein kinase) activators in cancer indications. Terms were not disclosed.

Betagenon was founded in 2001 to commercialise research, principally in type 2 diabetes, by Umeå University researchers Helena Edlund and Thomas Edlund. The company’s R&D operation is based at  Uminova Science Park in Umeå, with the main office in Stockholm.

Betagenon has developed a series of small molecules that activate AMPK, best known as a target in diabetes. The company has shown that AMPK activators also have significant potential in cancer treatment, and has established a leading position in this novel application of the drugs.

Antisoma plans to continue the preclinical evaluation of AMPK activators from Betagenon’s pipeline. The two companies have also formed a collaboration to explore further the potential of AMPK-based approaches to cancer treatment.

Antisoma will make an immediate upfront payment and fund certain research at Betagenon. Further payments will be made on achievement of development and regulatory milestones, and royalties will be paid on any sales of compounds resulting from the collaboration.

Betagenon’s Chief Executive Officer, Olof Karlsson, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Antisoma on our AMPK programme. We are confident that we have chosen a partner with the ability to advance our promising compounds rapidly and effectively in cancer.”

Antisoma’s Chief Executive Officer, Glyn Edwards, said: “Betagenon’s AMPK activators are another promising addition to our preclinical oncology portfolio. They fit with our strategy of acquiring a diverse range of novel and class-leading preclinical compounds with potential to add value to our clinical pipeline in the future.”