Emory University has licensed its patent portfolio centered around antitumor technology to Cougar Biotechnology.
Cougar is based in Los Angeles.
Emory received an upfront payment of an undisclosed amount as part of the deal.
The technology is based on research by Harish Joshi, a professor of cell biology at Emory, and others. They discovered that noscapine, an opium alkaloid, has “potent antitumor activity”, according to Cougar.
“This licensing agreement demonstrates how industry and academia can establish an effective relationship in order to advance drug development,” said Arie Belldegrun, vice chairman of the board of directors of Cougar Biotechnology, in a statement. “Emory’s preclinical studies indicate that noscapine and the analogs of noscapine have anti-tumor properties that could translate into novel drugs for the treatment of a variety of cancers.”
Emory will receive additional milestone payments from Cougar, and preclinical research studies will be performed at Emory.
Cougar: www.cougarbiotechnology.com
