Quantum Genomics Corp Partners with Inserm in Stroke and Cardiac Ischemia Drug Development

Quantum Genomics Corp. (QGC) has announced a partnership agreement with Inserm, the French national institute for health and medical research, and Universities Paris Descartes and Paris XII Val-de-Marne. This is the second lead molecule that QGC is developing through an agreement that brings together some of the leading scientific skills in the field of cardiovascular diseases.

The purpose of the agreement is to co-develop QGC002, a promising drug candidate for stroke and cardiac ischemia. QGC002 is a novel biological entity, a recombinant protein derived from discoveries by teams led respectively by Dr Brigitte Onteniente (Inserm Unit 549, Paris Descartes) and by Prof. Alain Berdeaux (Inserm Unit 841, Paris XII Val-de-Marne). Its mechanism of action suggests it could become the prototype of an anti-ischemic drug with a wide time window of neuroprotection and cardioprotection.

Under the terms of the agreement, QGC retains the right to acquire the intellectual property generated by Inserm and to exploit associated know-how. QGC will fund and conduct preclinical development and drug manufacturing whereas Inserm's teams (Unit 549 and Unit 841) will handle pharmacological studies in relevant animal models of the targeted diseases. QGC is aiming to initiate a regulatory pre-clinical development phase in 2009.

"This partnership with Inserm provides QGC with a novel first-in-class drug that complements our pipeline," said Lionel Segard, Chairman and CEO of QGC. "It contributes to further enhance our ambition to provide innovative products to treat diseases with significant unmet medical needs."

"This partnership with QGC gives us a great opportunity to participate in the development of a novel biotherapy based on research and work carried out in close cooperation with Alain Berdeaux," said Brigitte Onteniente, director of the Team "Biotherapies for stroke" at Inserm Unit 549.