APRINOIA Therapeutics Licenses Tau PET Tracer [18F]-APN-1607 to Celgene for Global Clinical Trials

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on December 25, 2018, APRINOIA Therapeutics announced the signing of a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Celgene Corporation.

Xinshu Biotech is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapeutic drugs and imaging diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases.

This agreement authorizes Celgene to use its newly developed tau protein positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [¹⁸[18F]-APN-1607 is being utilized in Celgene’s global clinical trials to facilitate patient enrollment and efficacy evaluation. Under this agreement, APEX Biotechnology will receive annual licensing fees and per-use product fees, the specific details of which have not been disclosed.

APN-1607 has undergone clinical evaluation in multiple regions worldwide, including the United States, Japan, Mainland China, and Taiwan. APN-1607 is a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer capable of imaging tau protein pathology in various tauopathies. Tauopathy-related diseases include mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Notably, for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), APN-1607 received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017. Axsome Therapeutics is currently deploying APN-1607 at leading academic medical centers worldwide to enable partners to utilize this technology. Partners of Axsome Therapeutics can apply APN-1607 to observe the progression of tau protein abnormalities in the brains of patients with various tauopathies. APN-1607 holds significant value in the development of effective therapeutics for these diseases. Axsome Therapeutics is also leveraging the unique properties and advantages of APN-1607 to accelerate the development of its own therapeutic candidates targeting tauopathies.

Brain Images of Patients with Tauopathy-Related Lesions. Image provided by NeuPharma Biotech.

Dr. Zhang Mingkui, CEO of XinXu Group, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with Celgene, one of our most valued global partners. Leveraging the unique properties of APN-1607, we believe we can provide our partners with a valuable tool to validate the efficacy of their therapeutic candidates in multiple neurodegenerative diseases.”

Headquartered in Taipei, China, Xinu Biotech is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapeutic drugs and imaging diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s current R&D pipeline comprises three diagnostic agents and two therapeutic products targeting brain disorders associated with tau protein and alpha-synuclein.

In addition to its current product pipeline, new therapeutic drug development programs are also being incubated. Axcella Biotech is committed to building a portfolio of innovative products while establishing close collaborations with global and regional pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the clinical development of its candidates. The company currently maintains operational teams in Japan, mainland China, and Taiwan.