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Xanthus acquires from John Hopkins University exclusive license to patent estate covering FLT3 pathway

13 Apr 2007 - Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the company has acquired an exclusive worldwide license to a patent estate from Johns Hopkins University for treating immune-related disorders by inhibiting the FLT3 tyrosine kinase. FLT3 is highly expressed on dendritic cells, which are responsible for the stimulation of T cells. In preclinical studies conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers, FLT3 signaling modulated autoimmune responses, suggesting that inhibition of the FLT3 pathway may reverse the course and severity of autoimmune disease.
 
Xanthus and Johns Hopkins have also initiated a research project to assess novel compounds for FLT3 inhibitory activity and the downstream pathways relevant to a range of autoimmune diseases. The research program will focus on a new class of compounds being developed by Xanthus, imidazoacridinones, which includes Symadex(TM). Symadex(TM) is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in oncology and Xanthus is exploring its use for the treatment of a number of autoimmune diseases where early preclinical studies have shown encouraging signs of activity.
 
In a prior study from the Johns Hopkins researchers (PNAS 205, vol. 2, no. 46, 16741-16746), inhibition of FLT3 signaling induced dendritic cell death in mice and in human cell cultures, making the FLT3 pathway a potential target for immune modulation. Additionally, FLT3 inhibition significantly improved the course of existing disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, suggesting its potential as an autoimmune disease treatment. This latter finding from John Hopkins supports similar experimental observations reported recently by Xanthus and collaborating researchers.