Exosome RNA Exosome RNA Research & Industry News
Capricor Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of transformative cell- and exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of a broad spectrum of diseases, today announced that it has signed an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to include engineered exosomes for vaccines and therapeutics as part of the Company’s exosome technology portfolio.
“This exclusive license agreement with JHU allows Capricor to continue the expansion of our engineered exosome platform technology. We are focused on developing this platform to deliver nucleic acids or proteins effectively into cells and drive the expression of functional proteins,” said Linda Marbán, Ph.D., CEO, Capricor Therapeutics. “This agreement marks a significant milestone in the development of our Company. We believe that this new platform technology has the ability to expand into disease areas of high unmet medical need.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Capricor has been granted the exclusive, worldwide rights to JHU’s co-owned interest in intellectual property described in the licensed patent applications, enabling Capricor to exclusively develop, manufacture and commercialize, with the right to sublicense, IP related to exosome technology for applications across both vaccine and therapeutic areas. Capricor is the co-owner of the intellectual property associated with the patent applications covered by the agreement.
The licensed technology is based on extensive preclinical research conducted by Capricor and Stephen Gould, Ph.D., who serves as Capricor’s executive consultant. Dr. Gould, Professor of Biological Chemistry at JHU, is an internationally recognized exosome expert who brings an unparalleled understanding of exosome engineering to Capricor’s exosome-based research and development programs. Capricor and JHU have collaborated over the last decade to accelerate several technologies at the forefront of biotechnology in areas that include chronic heart failure, as well as cardiovascular, genetic and muscular diseases.
Exosomes are the body’s own drug delivery vehicle, produced by all cells, abundant in all biofluids, and demonstrated to be safe following decades of transfusion and transplantation medicine. Their small size, biological origin, minimal immunogenicity and normal role in delivering signals and RNAs to human cells indicates that exosomes have the potential to expand the range of therapeutics that can be deployed in the fight against a broad spectrum of diseases. Their ease of crossing cell membranes and the ability to communicate in native cellular language makes them a class of novel therapeutic agents.
“By harnessing the power of this unique platform, Capricor can potentially provide and develop therapeutics to treat a variety of diseases,” added Dr. Marbán. “With our foundational data and through collaboration with Dr. Gould and his colleagues at JHU, we believe that exosomes can provide a new approach in drug development. Capricor plans to announce further pipeline opportunities and intends to move this technology into the clinic in the near future, subject to regulatory approval.”
Source – GlobeNewswire
