Ascenion GmbH has mediated a licence agreement between the
German Research Centre for
biotechnology mbH (GBF) and Zentaris GmbH, German
subsidiary of listed Æterna Zentaris Inc.
The licence grants Zentaris exclusive worldwide rights for the development, manufacture and
marketing of disorazoles, a novel class of natural products with strong anti-cancer
potential discovered by GBF researchers. The agreement also provides Zentaris with
access to GBF's know-how in the field of disorazoles and includes a licence to the
strain of
bacteria producing the product. The deal builds on an option Zentaris had
already secured for the class of disorazoles in 2002.
Under the terms of the agreement, the GBF will obtain an upfront fee and annual
licence fees from Zentaris as well as milestone and royalty payments in line with
product progress and future commercialization.
In the course of the screening of soil bacteria, GBF researchers have discovered that disorazol is a powerful inhibitor of the tubulin system, with a similar mode of action to taxol and vinblastin, the active ingredients of some of the world's best selling anti-cancer drugs. Following the results of in-vitro studies recently published in the Journal of Biochemical Pharmacology1, disorazol shows remarkably high cytostatic activity. At extremely low doses, it inhibits the proliferation of a broad range of cancer
cell lines including multidrug-resistant cells.