August 11, 2005
UW options promising anti-cancer compound to Ascentia Biomedical Corp.
Seattle — UW TechTransfer announced today it has entered into an option agreement with Ascentia Biomedical Corp. of Bellevue for a family of powerful compounds, including an anti-cancer compound that has repeatedly shown efficacy in blocking tumor growth in a pre-clinical model of breast cancer.
Additional compounds developed at the UW have also undergone pre-clinical testing and will be developed:
- As a treatment for sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by infection.
- As a treatment for autoimmune disorders such as arthritis.
- As an adjuvant for vaccines used in the prevention of multiple diseases.
Paula Szoka, UW TechTransfer director of Invention Licensing, said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with a local company and to have this important UW School of Medicine research moving into clinical development. It is gratifying to see UW research applied to the development of treatments that can potentially benefit millions of people.”
Ascentia Biomedical is developing and commercializing new pharmaceutical and biomedical products for application in a number of areas, including treatment for asthma, arthritis, psoriasis and cancer. Ascentia is focused on therapies for cancer and diseases of inflammation.
UW TechTransfer facilitates the commercialization of new innovations arising from University of Washington research through managing and licensing intellectual property rights. The mission of UW TechTransfer is to extend the impact of University of Washington research through the creation of partnerships that encourage investment in innovation.
