GSK inks amyloidosis research pact with professor

GlaxoSmithKline has struck an innovative research deal with a noted professor at University College London aimed at developing an antibody that can be combined with an existing drug to fight amyloidosis. The disease is characterized by the buildup of proteins in the body leading to organ failure.

Professor Mark Pepys has been studying the disease for decades and developed a therapy for it back in the '90s called CPHPC. The therapy marked a big step forward in the fight against the disease, says the professor, but failed to help people with an advanced case. Now, he says, Glaxo will spend "many millions" of pounds to combine CPHPC with an antibody that can track down amyloid in organs. The same approach proved very effective in eliminating deposits in mice and Pepys believes that it can work just as well in humans.

The Financial Times notes that amyloidosis, while rare, afflicts around 80,000 people in developed countries, giving it a significant market to tap. Glaxo SVP of research Mike Owen says clinical trials should get underway in a couple of years.

"Our biopharmaceutical and clinical development capabilities and Professor Pepys's team's knowledge of the disease provide a synergistic collaboration that will greatly enhance our chances of success," said Owen.

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- read the story in the Financial Times