Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute complete major licensing agreement with Acetylon

Harvard University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced today that they have concluded a major licensing agreement with Acetylon under which Harvard and Dana-Farber granted an exclusive therapeutic license to a robust platform technology and chemical methodology that enables high-throughput screening and lead optimization for HDAC inhibitor compounds. Under terms of the Agreement, Harvard and Dana-Farber received equity from Acetylon, and will receive downstream royalty and milestone payments.

“We are committed to the transfer of innovative science developed in Dana-Farber’s research laboratories into the commercial sector so that it may have an impact on relieving the worldwide burden of cancer.”

Acetylon www.acetylon.com is a development stage Company dedicated to the clinical development and commercialization of new therapies for inflammatory disease, neurologic disease and cancer. The Company is focused on the development of potential drug candidates based on next generation Class II-selective HDAC inhibitors. The Company was founded around core technology initially developed at Dana-Farber and Harvard.

“The license granted to Acetylon underscores the commitment of Harvard University to assure that new biomedical technologies developed at Harvard are commercially developed and used to improve patient care,” said Isaac Kohlberg, Senior Associate Provost and head of Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. “As a leader in technology transfer, Harvard has an obligation, consistent with our public service mission, to help expedite the translation of new technologies from the lab to the clinic.”

“We are very pleased to have granted this license to Acetylon Pharmaceuticals. The Company’s investment to develop new therapeutics based on the technology is a fine example of academic technology transfer,” said Anthony A. del Campo, Vice President, Office of Research and Technology Ventures at Dana-Farber. “We are committed to the transfer of innovative science developed in Dana-Farber’s research laboratories into the commercial sector so that it may have an impact on relieving the worldwide burden of cancer.”

“This Agreement provides Acetylon with innovative technology and capabilities to expand our Class II-selective HDAC inhibitors program for the discovery of a new generation of potentially best-in-class drug candidates,” said Walter Ogier, Chief Executive Officer of Acetylon. “We believe that highly Class II-selective HDAC inhibitors may show enhanced clinical utility by reducing or eliminating the debilitating and sometimes life-threatening side effects associated with the current first-generation of non-selective HDAC inhibitors.”