Cocrystal Pharma Announces In-Licensing of CRISPR Cas Technologies for Hepatitis B Virus and Human Papilloma Virus
Marketwired
February 10, 2016: 08:00 AM ET
Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: COCP), a company focused on developing novel antiviral therapeutics for human diseases, announced today it has signed an agreement with Duke University and Emory University to license various patents and know-how to use CRISPR/Cas9 technologies for developing a possible cure for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papilloma virus (HPV).
"We're pleased to bring the CRISPR/Cas DNA editing technology developed in our laboratories into the clinic," said Bryan R. Cullen, Ph.D., the James B. Duke Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University School of Medicine. "We look forward to adding Cocrystal to our team as they are committed to helping the development of potential new treatment options for chronic HBV and HPV infections."
"We are excited to explore the CRISPR/Cas technologies to potentially develop the first virus targeted genome modifying treatment that may be able to provide a cure for HPV and HBV," stated CEO, Jeffrey Meckler. "Worldwide, it is estimated 2 billion people are infected with HBV and this approach could potentially develop a cure for a serious unmet medical need. HPV continues to be the most common sexually transmitted infection despite having effective vaccines which are currently underutilized and most effective only when administered during childhood and adolescence. "
In recent years the discovery of clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) has given scientists hope that they will be able to efficiently edit genomes with a high degree of precision and flexibility. CRISPR sequences are expressed in bacteria and match viral DNA in a way that defends against viruses. Cas is a related immune defense mechanism that works with CRISPR to slice through a virus's DNA and eliminate it.
This license agreement allows Cocrystal to develop and potentially commercialize a cure for HBV and HPV utilizing the underlying patents and technologies developed by the universities.
About Cocrystal Pharma
Cocrystal is a pharmaceutical company seeking to discover novel antiviral therapeutics as treatments for serious and/or chronic viral diseases. Cocrystal employs unique technologies and Nobel Prize winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. These technologies, including our nucleoside chemistry expertise and market-focused approach to drug discovery are designed to efficiently deliver small molecule therapeutics that are safe, effective and convenient to administer. The company has identified promising, preclinical stage antiviral compounds for the unmet medical needs including hepatitis, influenza and norovirus infections. Cocrystal has previously received strategic investments from Teva Pharmaceuticals, OPKO Health (NYSE: OPK), Brace Pharmaceutical, LLC, and The Frost Group. For further information about Cocrystal, please refer to www.cocrystalpharma.com. 作者: StephenW 时间: 2016-2-10 21:36
共结晶制药宣布在许可乙肝病毒和人类乳头状瘤病毒CRISPR对CAS技术的
Marketwired
2016年2月10日：08:00 ET
The Atlantic已对这一过程进行过报道，其中解释说：「现在，已经不是一套可以精确剪切任何你想要的基因的多功能剪刀，而是一个可以精确控制任何你想要的基因的多功能传输系统。你不仅有了编辑器，你还有刺激物、喷嘴、强度开关、跟踪器。」这能带来无尽的好处，从提高免疫力到心脏病发作后改善心脏肌肉。或许我们最后还能治愈癌症。对失控增殖的细胞来说，难道还有比直接关闭细胞系统更好的方法吗？
Schinazi是一个“散养的孩子”，但自由自在的童年很快就结束了。1962年因为政治原因，Schinazi家的房子被封，银行帐户被冻结，车也被拿走了。1964年，破产的Schinazi一家逃到意大利，并在难民营生活了一段时间。幸运的是，英国一家很好的犹太寄宿学校录取了Schinazi，随后他进入Bath大学拿到了化学博士学位。Schinazi的舅舅André Nahmias是Bath大学的知名学者，主要研究疱疹病毒。在Nahmias的帮助下，Schinazi进入耶鲁大学在“抗病毒化学疗法之父” William Prusoff门下进行博士后研究。