SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - February 24, 2015) - Regen BioPharma, Inc. (OTC PINK: RGBP) commented on the recently announced definitive agreement between Bristol Myers Squibb and Flexus Biopharma, Inc. in which all outstanding shares of Flexus Biosciences Inc. will be purchased for $800 million upfront and development milestones that, upon achievement, could total up to $450 million(1).
“This deal strongly validates the importance of modulating the immune system in treating cancer, and more specifically brings attention to the fundamental importance of blocking the indolamine 2,3 deoxygenase (IDO) pathway as a means to reverse tumor immune suppression,” said Thomas Ichim, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Regen BioPharma, Inc.
Regen BioPharma, Inc. acquired an issued patent related to IDO gene silencing technology from Dr. Wei-Ping Min at the University of Western Ontario and licensed a portfolio of patents related to IDO-specific gene silencing from Benitec Australia Limited. These patents, along with two peer reviewed publications(2,3), serve as the origin of Regen’s IND # 16200 with the FDA for its dCellVax product, which is a dendritic cell therapy for breast cancer utilizing IDO-silenced dendritic cells as immune stimulators. Currently Regen is responding to FDA comments on its IND application.
According to the Bristol Myers Squibb and Flexus Biosciences, Inc. press release “The acquisition will give Bristol-Myers Squibb full rights to F001287, Flexus’ lead preclinical small molecule IDO1-inhibitor targeted for IND filing in the second half of 2015.”
David Koos, Regen’s Chairman & CEO, noted, “We are delighted that Big Pharma has entered the space of IDO inhibition for treatment of cancer. This important validation of the IDO target on cancer that we have been publishing and patenting on since 2006 strongly supports the importance of our scientific intellectual property and clinical trials positioning.”
IDO is an enzyme that cancer uses to suppress the immune system. Companies like Flexus Biosciences Inc. and Regen BioPharma are seeking to block activity of IDO in order to stimulate the immune system to kill cancer.
ABOUT REGEN BIOPHARMA INC.: Regen BioPharma Inc. is a publicly traded biotechnology company (OTC PINK: RGBP). The Company is focused on identifying undervalued regenerative medicine applications in the immunotherapy and stem cell space. The Company is focused on rapidly advancing these technologies through pre-clinical and Phase I/II clinical trials. Currently the Company is centering on gene silencing therapy for treating cancer, telomeres and small molecule therapies, along with developing stem cell treatments for aplastic anemia. Regen is majority owned by Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc. (OTC PINK: BMSN).
Disclaimer: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.
(1) http://www.flexusbio.com/#!23jan2015-press-release/cfxt
(2) http://www.jimmunol.org/content/177/8/5639.full.pdf+html
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=22870862
Contact:
Regen BioPharma Inc.
David R. Koos, PhD
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
619-702-1404 Phone
619-330-2328 Fax
www.regenbiopharma.com
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