Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

BioFocus in Cambridge as at the heart of a new £3.9m drug discovery collaboration focussing on cystic fibrosis.

BioFocus' parent company, Galapagos has agreed a deal with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the non-profit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation aimed at discovering new treatments for cystic fibrosis. 

The agreement between CFFT and Galapagos’ BioFocus DPI service division, is worth up to €5.5 million euros (£3.9m) for Galapagos.

The collaboration aims to identify small molecules derived from natural sources that improve the function of a defective protein found in people who have cystic fibrosis. The protein is called CFTR - cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. 

CFFT was set up to fund promising scientific research in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and academia worldwide.

Under the terms of the agreement, Galapagos stands to receive up to £1.14m (€1.6 m) in upfront and research fees over the next two years, and up to £2.7m  (€3.8m) in success-based milestone payments.

Robert J Beall, PhD, president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation said:  “By exploring compounds derived from natural sources, our goal is to increase the number and diversity of drug candidates in development to treat cystic fibrosis.”

Belgium based, Galapagos acquired BioFocus, based in Great Chesterford near Cambridge in 2005.

“The CFFT drug discovery collaboration is a prime example of the kind of innovation we aimed to achieve through our acquisition strategy,” said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos. 

“We have seen a growing interest in natural product based drug discovery since acquiring these capabilities last year. By combining this expertise with our know-how in cell-based screening, we are confident that we will contribute to the advancement of CFFT’s drug discovery program in novel ways.”

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects approximately 70,000 people worldwide. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas, causing difficulty in absorbing food.