Ipsen (Euronext: IPN, ADR: IPSEY) announced today that it has initiated a research and development collaboration on novel engineered botulinum toxins with Harvard Medical School (Harvard).
Under the terms of the agreement, Ipsen will fund Harvard research for at least three years with the aim to discover, evaluate and develop novel engineered recombinant botulinum toxins for the treatment of serious neurologic diseases.
The collaboration will combine Harvard's discovery platform and botulinum toxins engineering expertise with Ipsen's know-how in drug discovery and pharmaceutical R&D.
Ipsen will have exclusive worldwide rights on any candidate recombinant toxin stemming from the collaboration. Ipsen will be responsible for the development and marketing of the new toxins and will make associated upfront, milestones and royalty payments to Harvard.
Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice president R&D, Chief Scientific Officer at Ipsen added: "Ipsen is very pleased to combine its expertise with such a renowned research institution as Harvard. This collaboration further strengthens Ipsen's position in biotechnology as a major player focused on the discovery and development of therapeutic toxins to provide innovative therapies for patients with serious neurologic disorders."
"Our collaboration with Ipsen to discover novel engineered botulinum toxins will greatly facilitate our research efforts to potentially bring novel therapeutics to the benefit of patients suffering from highly debilitating conditions," said Dr. Min Dong, Instructor in Microbiology and Immunobiology at the New England Primate Research Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology of Harvard Medical School.
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