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Cancer boost from Cambridge University's US alliance

Written by Tony Quested
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
World-leading science from the University of Cambridge could revolutionise the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases through an alliance with a specialist company in the United States. Lentigen Corporation in Baltimore has struck an exclusive licensing agreement with Cambridge Enterprise, which licenses technologies from the University, for a fundamental patent in the area of lentiviral vector technology. Lentiviral vectors (LV) are the most efficient vehicles for stable delivery of genes or gene silencing sequences (e.g. RNAi) into cells. Gene delivery is accomplished by the binding and fusion of the LV pseudotyped envelope protein to the target cell membrane. The LV genomic RNA – comprising the gene or gene silencing sequence – is converted to DNA and permanently integrates into the cell’s genome with extraordinary high efficiency. The gene or gene silencing sequence is then expressed in the cells, resulting in cells that are permanently genetically engineered with the desired effect. The technology was developed in the laboratory of Professor Andrew Lever at the University of Cambridge. Dr Andrew Walsh, technology manager for Cambridge Enterprise said the Lentigen deal was critical to the technology transfer process. He said: “Early stage technology from the University requires a very sophisticated commercial partner in order to take it forward. I think we have that with Lentigen who are specialising in this form of vector and is managed by people with a strong track record in the field.” Sectoral specialists in the US say the medical markets that could be targeted by the Lentigen-Cambridge University axis are potentially worth many billions of pounds. Dr Walsh said: “The exact value of the potential market place is difficult to judge as gene therapy as a whole is at a very early stage. However, there are many areas in which these vectors could be applied such as cancer as well as viral infections or genetic conditions. “Lentiviral vectors have a number of features that make them an attractive option for gene therapy, with their safety profile being the most important.” While he was unable to disclose the financial details of the Lentigen deal, Dr Walsh hinted at the possibility of a significant payback for Cambridge. “There is the prospect that if Lentigen is successful, there will be a financial return to Cambridge Enterprise which will be shared between the inventors, their department and ourselves.” Senior Lentigen officials are seriously excited about the prospects for the technology, notably cancer and infectious diseases. The company is already heading the race for a market-leading ’flu vaccine. Boro Dropulic, founder, president and chief scientific officer said: “The patent concerned broadly claims fundamental compositions of HIV-based lentiviral vectors that are currently widely used in research and clinical studies. “It’s thrilling to be working with Professor Lever in obtaining this patent licence and developing its application in biomedicine.” He said that following the acquisition of the Cell Genesys’ lentiviral patent portfolio late last year by GBP Capital, the majority shareholder in Lentigen, the Cambridge licence further consolidated Lentigen’s intellectual property position. CEO Tim Ravenscroft said: “Licensing this fundamental technology patent from the University of Cambridge extends our strong intellectual property position and is consistent with our goal of becoming a leader in lentiviral-vector based biomedicine. “It further enables Lentigen to pursue development and commercialisation of biomedical products and services, to the benefit of patients, healthcare providers and the research community.” Lentigen is a privately owned biotech company developing lentiviral vector technology for a broad range of therapeutic, vaccine, and research applications in biotech and medicine. It has significant strategic partnerships with The National Institutes of Health, The University of Pennsylvania, ThermoFisher Scientific and The US Army. Striking such a deal is a major coup for Cambridge Enterprise which last December celebrated its first birthday as a limited company. During its first year the performance was solid in that 60 licences and 95 consultancy contracts were closed and the company assumed the management of a portfolio of 72 companies in which it holds equity. The turnover from technology and knowledge transfer was £6 million of which £5.3m (88 per cent) was returned to the University’s academics and departments. Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 315 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.