The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development Enters Agreement with Sentinel Oncology to Develop Breakthrough Treatment for Fragile X Syndrome

On September 2, 2021 The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development, LLC (MSRD), a member of the global Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies, reported that it has entered an agreement with Sentinel Oncology (Sentinel), a drug discovery company (Press release, Sentinel Oncology, SEP 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234587242]).

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The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development at Otsuka in the U.S. will support the clinical development of a first-in-class therapeutic with the potential to treat Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a rare, genetic condition that causes intellectual disability, behavioral and learning challenges, and various physical characteristics1.

Under the terms of the agreement, MSRD and Sentinel will collaborate to support the Phase 1a and Phase 1b clinical trials for Sentinel’s investigational compound SOL784 with the opportunity to expand the collaboration after those studies.

"Although there are treatment options for the symptoms of Fragile X syndrome available today, none have been approved by regulatory authorities to address the underlying cause of this rare genetic disorder," said Robert McQuade, PhD, president, McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development, LLC, and chief strategic officer, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. "Our two organizations share like-minded missions of delivering treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. We are hopeful that our collaboration can lead to the development of a potential therapeutic for people living with this condition."

"We are delighted to be collaborating with the MSRD team to advance SOL784 into clinical development" said Robert G Boyle, founder and CEO of Sentinel Oncology. "SOL784 targets the underlying disease biology of FXS and we are excited for the prospects of a drug which has the potential to provide real benefits to patients for whom there is an unmet medical need"

About Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a rare, genetic condition that causes intellectual disability, behavioral and learning challenges, and various physical characteristics. Though FXS occurs in both genders, males are more frequently affected than females, and generally with greater severity. FXS has been detected in all populations and ethnic groups. While researchers do not have an exact number for how many Americans (males and females) could have full-mutation Fragile X syndrome, estimates range between as few as 38,000 to as high as 87,000 people living with the condition.1