Peregrine licenses worldwide rights to a novel anti-angiogenesis technology

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has licensed worldwide exclusive rights to a novel anti-angiogenesis technology from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The agreement is for development and commercialization rights to all forms of "clipped" (or nicked) Beta 2 Glycoprotein 1 (B2GP1) protein, which was first characterized by Dr. Alan J. Schroit, Deputy Chairman, Department of Cancer Biology and John Q. Gaines Professor of Cancer Biology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Peregrine, Dr. Schroit and M. D. Anderson will collaborate under a sponsored research agreement to conduct preclinical studies that are designed to advance B2GP1 toward human clinical trials.

The anti-cancer potential of clipped B2GP1 has been independently verified in a study published in September 2006 by a group of authors that included angiogenesis pioneer Dr. Judah Folkman. They showed that clipped B2GP1 inhibited endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation and reduced tumor growth by 96% in an animal model of bladder cancer.(1)

"A growing body of studies suggests that clipped Beta 2 Glycoprotein 1 is a promising anti-angiogenic agent. We are delighted to have secured the rights to develop and market potential new therapies based on this approach," said Steven W. King, president and CEO of Peregrine. "We are particularly encouraged by the fact that we have already identified a potential clinical candidate for the B2GP1 program, and we look forward to working with Dr. Schroit and his colleagues at M. D. Anderson to complete the preclinical studies needed to move clipped B2GP1 toward clinical testing in humans."

"Clipped forms of Beta 2 Glycoprotein 1 may represent an exciting new approach for anti-angiogenesis therapies, and I am pleased to be collaborating with Peregrine to further explore its clinical utility," said Dr. Schroit. "The more we learn about this plasma protein, the more intriguing its role appears to be. The anti-angiogenic potential of B2GP1 was first identified by my laboratory in studies suggesting that it is a negative regulator of angiogenesis that can inhibit the growth of primary tumors and metastases. First-generation anti-angiogenesis agents have already demonstrated their value in some cancer and ophthalmology applications, and we are eager to learn more about the clinical potential of this new anti-angiogenesis approach."

(1): An Endogenous Inhibitor of Angiogenesis derived from a Transitional Cell Carcinoma: Clipped b2-Glycoprotein-I Wolf-Dietrich C. Beecken,1 Tobias Engl,1 Eva M. Ringel,1 Kevin Camphausen,2 Martin Michaelis,3 Dietger Jonas,1 Judah Folkman,4 Yuen Shing,4 and Roman A. Blaheta1 Annals of Surgical Oncology, 13(9): 1241--1251