Astellas and Proteostasis Therapeutics collaborate on research towards genetic diseases

WASHINGTON - Nov. 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Astellas will collaborate with Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc to develop novel therapeutic contenders that modulate Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) utilizing Proteostasis’ proprietary “Disease Relevant Translation” (DRT™) and “Proteostasis Network” platform. Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. specializes in developing therapies to combat diseases caused by protein folding defects, trafficking and clearance. Astellas will make an undisclosed upfront payment to Proteostasis Therapeutics who will also be eligible to receive additional funding towards research, development, and commercial milestones that may amount to $400 million. Astellas has the right to commence two additional projects in accordance with the same terms, if the company proceeds with the projects, the collaborative deal could be worth $1.2 billion.

“We are very pleased to be collaborating with Astellas, a worldwide leader in the development of innovative therapeutics,” said Meenu Chhabra, President and CEO at Proteostasis Therapeutics. “Our novel approach to drug discovery, coupled with Astellas’ track record in drug development, will enable rapid discovery and development of therapies for important unmet medical needs.”

The aim of this collaboration is to focus on genetic diseases and investigate additional indications that can be affected through modulation of the UPR pathway. Based on non-clinical investigations selective modulation of the UPR pathway has improved stress response that tends to occur by the accrual of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This is a major therapeutic development as the accumulation of unfolded proteins have been observed in various diseases which are categorized as protein conformational diseases and includes genetic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and retinal degenerative diseases.

“Proteostasis Therapeutics has a novel platform that offers a differentiated approach to discovering drugs for unmet medical needs,” commented Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, at Astellas, “it complements our existing internal and externalized R&D initiatives and we continue to invest in innovative technologies that can provide new therapeutic options to patients. We look forward to working closely with Proteostasis Therapeutics to identify lead candidates for clinical development and potential commercialization.”

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