On January 4, 2019 Recursion, a clinical-stage biotechnology company combining artificial intelligence (AI), experimental biology, and automation to discover and develop drugs at scale, reported it has entered into a licensing agreement with the Ohio State Innovation Foundation (OSIF), the technology transfer function of The Ohio State University, gaining rights to OSU-HDAC42, a clinical-stage compound that will be developed by Recursion as REC-2282 (Press release, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, JAN 4, 2019, View Source [SID1234556193]). Recursion plans to develop the compound in neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a devastating rare tumor syndrome.
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"We leveraged our unique discovery platform to identify potential therapies for NF2 from among known compounds with the potential for accelerated development," said Chris Gibson, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Recursion. "We found a strong signal in our data for REC-2282 as a potential treatment for NF2, and upon further diligence, discovered the drug was already being pursued in the treatment of this disease. The universe of experimental treatments is vast, but the data arbitrage generated empirically on our platform gave us the confidence to move forward quickly."
Under the terms of this agreement, Recursion obtains exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize REC-2282. Full financial terms have not been disclosed.
"Adding REC-2282 to our clinical pipeline and driving to a rapid determination of its efficacy and safety for NF2 patients marks another important step in Recursion’s growth and more importantly may offer a better treatment option for this terribly underserved patient population," said Tim Considine, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development at Recursion. "We are excited to build on existing clinical data to advance this program to human proof of concept in NF2 as rapidly as possible."
Last year, Recursion announced that its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for another disease of unmet need, cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and that program is currently enrolling subjects in Phase 1.
About Neurofibromatosis Type 2
Neurofibromatosis type 2 is a genetic condition most commonly associated with bilateral vestibular schwannomas, also known as acoustic neuromas. These are benign (noncancerous) tumors that occur on the nerves responsible for balance and hearing in the inner ear. Patients can also have meningiomas, a slow-growing tumor that usually develops on the surface of the brain. Although these tumors are benign, they can cause loss of hearing and balance problems, and in severe cases can be life threatening. It is estimated that about one in 40,000 people has NF2. Approximately 50% of people with NF2 do not have a family history of the condition. Current treatment involves surgical removal of the tumors, which provides temporary relief of symptoms but bears a significant risk of hearing loss and other complications.
About REC-2282 (OSU-HDAC42)
REC-2282 is a pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. There are multiple lines of evidence that REC-2282 exhibits both histone-independent and acetylation-independent mechanisms, at both epigenetic and cellular levels. The compound was previously in clinical development by Arno Therapeutics (as AR-42) for various solid and liquid tumors. Exploratory investigator-initiated studies have been conducted in patients with vestibular schwannomas and meningiomas. Rights to the compound were returned to OSIF in November 2017.