4 minute read
fiGhtinG aRthRitis thRouGh can
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
caNadiaN arthritis Network
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briNgiNg the arthritiS coMMuNity together
Canada’s arthritis community is hard at work all year long as it works towards a cure for the debilitating disease. Nearly 4.5 million Canadian suffer from arthritis and that number is expected to increase to six million by 2026. Each year the economic burder of musculoskeletal conditions (mostly arthritis) in Canada is about $16.4 billion. Many people believe arthritis is a disease of the elderly, which is a gross misconception. In reality, most arthritis sufferers are under 65 years of age.
The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) has a mission to improve the quality of life of people with arthritis; decrease the personal, societal and economic burden of the disease; and promote the growth of the Canadian economy through research projects in osteoarthritis, inflammatory joint diseases and bioengineering to restore the mobility of joints.
CAN’s resources support its mission in three key areas: the early development of potential treatments, sharing research results that may lead to new treatments and devices, and supporting the work of Canadian scientists.
It acts as the single point of contact that links nearly 200 leading Canadian arthritis researchers and clinicians, 45 Canadian academic institutions, The Arthritis Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and government. CAN is also a member of the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence.
With researchers and investors spread out across the county, it can make it hard to share information, create partnerships and ultimately, cure the disease. The Annual Scientific Conference acts as a forum to get people together and take things to that next level.
The 2010 Annual Scientific Conference (ASC), taking place Oct. 28-30 in Gatineau, QC, will offer a fresh format and content to attendees. The ASC acts as an opportunity to understand how the arthritis community is moving towards a cure for the disease, with such critical topics as: pain in inflammatory diseases; patient-oriented outcomes; stem cell and regenerative medicine; and an intensive workshop session on osteoarthritis. Rounding out the conference is the ever-popular trainee day, networking events, scientific poster competitions and a gala dinner with a host of award presentations.
With so many conferences held around the globe, sometimes it’s
SOME OF THE CURRENT CAN LICENSING/PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE: Biologic Inhibitor for Treating Inflammation and Leukemia Key Features
• Validated novel target with preclinical proof-of-concept for inhibitor efficacy at least equivalent to gold-standard (anti-TNF). • Multiple therapeutic areas: Inflammation (Crohn’s and Rheumatoid Arthritis) and
Oncology (leukemia). • Strong patent portfolio, dedicated scientific expertise and early phase not-for-profit financing.
Market Opportunity
• Anti-TNF therapeutics have been among the best selling classes of biologics, with sales of $16.4 billion in 2007, dominating the treatment of inflammatory disease. • Although anti-TNFs have widespread use, they have side effects and are ineffective in a large patient population; an antibody with more specific anti-inflammatory activity and a better safety profile is needed.
Stage of Development
• Validated target • Technology protected in the US and Europe • Monoclonal antibodies in late stage pre-clinical testing; ready for humanization in 2010
Ideal Partner
Interested in licensing this technology as part of a development partnership? The ideal partner will have: • Expertise in antibody development. • An active inflammatory disease development program. • A track record of success and expertise in pre-clinical and toxicology studies for biologics.
Contact
Brian Bobechko Director of R&D, CAN Tel: (416) 586-4800 ext. 4117 Email: bbobechko@mtsinai.on.ca
hard to pick and chose the ones worth attending. The ASC sets itself apart by offering different perspectives on each topic by inviting clinical investigators, basic scientists, students, patients, industry and government representatives. In fact, ASC attendees often walk away with new partnerships and collaborations thanks to such a mix of people all being in the same place at the same time. In 2009 there were 330 attendees, but numbers continue to grow each year.
At CAN, research is encouraged to be multi-provincial in an effort to prevent silo-type research from taking over. It sees networking as the most important aspect of the entire conference.
For more information on CAN’S PROgRAMS, visit
www.bioscienceworld.ca
BIOMARKER BASED DIAGNOSTIC METHOD AND PROGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS Key Features
• Statistically robust biomarker-based clinical diagnostic. • Key biomarker not effected by critical confounders (eg. MTX, orther treatments). • Rapid clinical diagnostic, requiring small clinical sample volumes. • Highly amenable to treatment progression monitoring.
Stage of Development
• Preliminary proof-of-concept established • Technologies protected as a Method of Use patents • Refined clinical protocol is under development • Large scale clinical validation is required
Ideal Partner
Interested in licensing this technology as part of a development partnership? The ideal partner will: • Be actively involved in conducting large scale clinical trials on RA and OA patients. • Provide access to biological samples. • Partner in leveraging publically available funding to advance the development in the context of clinical testing.
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
Market Opportunity
• Predicting the clinical outcomes of diseases, such as RA, is still one of the most significant unmet needs. There are currently no predictors of treatment response that are clinically useful. • The impact of HER2/neu in Oncology suggests that biomarkers have great potential in Rheumatology. • The regulatory environment in biomarker-diagnostics remains irregular, creating a wider range of competitive opportunity.
BERESKIN & PARR_Biotechnology Focus_May2010.qxd
Contact
Brian Bobechko Director of R&D, CAN Tel: (416) 586-4800 ext. 4117 Email: bbobechko@mtsinai.on.ca
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