HD Links With MIIR, Marshall U In Cancer Drug Development

Preclinical drug discovery contract research organization HD Biosciences (HDB), the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR), and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine declared that they have entered into collaboration to jointly develop new drugs targeting cancer.

As part of the agreement, the collaborators will share expenses and risks of the drug discovery and development project. The partners will also share intellectually property and marketing rights of any resulting drugs developed through the project. HDB will continue preclinical development of lead compounds discovered by Marshall University.

Dr. Xuehai Tan, President and CEO of HD Biosciences, commented, “We are very pleased to establish this collaboration with Marshall University. This agreement marks a significant achievement for HDB on the efforts to build the company's long-term growth potential… in drug discovery and development.”

The Shanghai-based CRO also entered into a similar risk-sharing agreement with E.J. Corey Institute of Biomedical Research (CIBR) earlier this year to discover and develop drugs in infectious and metabolic diseases as well as in oncology.

Marshall University promotes collaborations aimed at developing new approaches to healthcare, such as its agreement with HDB. In 2012 the university received two $25,000 grants promoting research in innovative treatments. Dr. Pier Paolo Claudio, one of the award recipients and associate professor in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program as well other departments at the medical school, worked on developing an assay that could lead to personalized treatments for lung cancer. Dr. Claudio plans to leverage his findings from the award to apply for larger federal grants for further research.

Dr. John Maher, Marshall University VP for research, said that the venture with HDB holds potential for economic development for the university and the whole region. He said, “By working together to examine the commercial viability of the disease targets and treatments being developed at MIIR and the medical school, we will be able to accelerate the translation of research from our labs into discoveries that will help improve human health and stimulate economic development.”

The collaboration will target areas of unmet healthcare needs in both international and Chinese markets.