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13 Nov 2014 07:00
13 November 2014
ValiRx Plc
("ValiRx" or "the Company")
Collaboration agreement
with the German Cancer Research Center
"Agreement with Deutsches Krebsforschungzentrum ("DKFZ"), based in Heidelberg, Germany, for the scientific development of GeneICE and VAL101"
ValiRx Plc (AIM: VAL), the life science company with a focus on cancer diagnostics and therapeutics for personalised medicine, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration agreement (the "Agreement") with the DKFZ for the further development of ValiRx's proprietary Gene Inactivation through Chromatin Engineering technology platform (known as GeneICE). The goal of the research is to develop new targeting technologies that will improve the early detection and diagnosis of various cancers and new GeneICE compounds aimed at enhancing treatment outcomes.
This Agreement builds on the ValiRx-DKFZ association with in the Eurostars programme, named 'D-SIST' and announced on 15 August 2013 by expanding the scope of the research to cover a wider range of activities relating to the development of the GeneICE technology and its use in the treatment of cancer, as well as its diagnostic and research applications.
The Agreement represents an extension of a strategic alliance with one of the world's leading biomedical research institutions, which is aimed at accelerating the translation of the preclinical evidence supporting the GeneICE technology's potential to silence specific 'rebellious genes' implicated in causing cancers, and take individualised cancer medicine from bench to bedside. As a part of the Agreement, ValiRx retains all rights to GeneICE and improvements to the technology and has a first refusal on commercial rights to other IP deriving from the collaboration.
Commenting on today's announcement, Dr Satu Vainikka, Chief Executive of ValiRx, said:
"Our scientific team is very excited to have the opportunity toenhance our GeneICE portfolio and progress it through to clinical use with the benefit of the additional support and validation provided by the DKFZ. The collaboration will and already has provided significant benefits."
- ENDS -
For more information, please contact:
ValiRx plc | Tel: +44 (0) 20 3008 4416 |
Dr Satu Vainikka | www.valirx.com |
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nominated Adviser) | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7148 7900 |
Liam Murray / Avi Robinson | |
Daniel Stewart & Company Plc (Broker) | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6550 |
Martin Lampshire / Mark Treharne
| |
Peckwater PR | Tel: +44 (0) 7879 458 364 |
Tarquin Edwards | tarquin.edwards@peckwaterpr.co.uk |
Notes to the editor
ValiRx Plc
ValiRx Plc is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel technologies and products in oncology therapeutics and diagnostics. The product focus is in the epigenomic analysis and treatment of cancer, but the technologies can be applied to other fields as well, such as neurology and inflammatory diseases.
The Company listed on AIM in October 2006 and is creating a portfolio of innovative products through investment in specific development projects. It actively manages projects within this portfolio as a trading company and is not an investment vehicle. The ValiRx business model spreads the risks of life science technology developments by minimising financial exposure and running a set of projects to defined commercial endpoints. This maximises returns to shareholders by adding value at the earlier stages where value increases per investment unit are the greatest.
The Company operates through the following divisional companies:
1. ValiFinn is the biomarkers and diagnostic development division
2. ValiPharma is the therapeutics division with two embedded technologies primarily directed at the treatment of cancers.
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum)
The DKFZ is the largest biomedical research institute in Germany and is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers. More than 2,000 staff members, including 850 scientists, are investigating the mechanisms of cancer and are working to identify cancer risk factors. They provide the foundations for developing novel approaches in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. In addition, the staff of the Cancer Information Service (KID) offers information about the widespread disease of cancer for patients, their families, and the general public. The Center is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (90%) and the State of Baden-Württemberg (10%).
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