Bone regeneration drug licensed to start-up to develop osteonecrosis treatment
The University of California, Davis, has licensed four families of patents related to the novel composition of a hybrid molecule to Regenerative Arthritis and Bone Medicine. The drug has been demonstrated to induce bone regeneration in animal models.
A new drug developed by the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis; CA, USA) has been licensed to Regenerative Arthritis and Bone Medicine (RABOME; CA, USA). The license is for four families of patents which relate to the novel composition of the drug. The drug, LLP2A-alendronate, has been demonstrated to direct mesenchymal stem cells to induce bone regeneration in animal models. The initial focus of RABOME will be to develop a treatment for osteonecrosis, a disease caused by reduced blood flow to bones.
LLP2A-alendronate was developed by a successful research collaboration between two teams at UC Davis. A group of bone health experts from the UC Davis Center for Musculoskeletal Health collaborated with a group of medicinal chemists from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine to create the drug.
LLP2A-alendronate works by guiding transplanted and endogenous mesenchymal stem cells to the surface of the bone where they differentiate into bone-forming cells, thereby increasing bone mass and strength. These cells are also immune-modulating, which helps to reduce inflammation at target sites.
“There are many stem cells, even in elderly people, but they do not readily migrate to bone,” explained co-creator and associate professor of internal medicine Wei Yao (UC Davis). “Finding a molecule that attaches to stem cells and guides them to the targets we need provides a real breakthrough.”
RABOME recently had phase I clinical trials for this drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (MD, USA) and is currently screening for participants.
“We are pursuing several indications for use, but our initial focus is in developing a treatment for osteonecrosis, a disease caused by reduced blood flow to bones,” commented Fred Tileston, president and CEO of RABOME.
Written by Adam Tarring