Alkem Labs inks a licenses agreement with Harvard University to treat ischemic injury and vascular diseases

11 Feb 2022 , 01:24 PM

Alkem Laboratories Limited has signed a license agreement with Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) enabling Alkem to develop and commercialize a novel technology that may help meet the dire need for effective treatment of diabetic neuropathy, foot ulcers, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and other injuries caused by vascular disease.

Developed in the lab of David Mooney, Ph.D. at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the technology is an injectable, biocompatible scaffold for the sustained release of tissue-regenerative molecules.

Alkem plans to apply its drug development and manufacturing capability to advance this technology from bench to bedside Lhrough the application of efficient translational, pre-clinical, and clinical models.

“This license agreement with Harvard enables us to harness an innovation with great clinical potential, identified and nurtured by the Wyss Institute, to bring novel treatments to market. It also serves as an example of Alkem’s commitment to fostering continued academic, clinical, and commercial collaborations to bring impactful medical technologies to patients,” said Alkem’s Managing Director, Sandeep Singh.

Alkem’s President and Chief Medical Officer, Akhilesh Sharma added, “This technology’s novel, regenerative medicine approach could help fill a therapy gap in the treatment of multiple causes of ischemic tissue injuries, with the potential to avoid several thousands of foot deformities and amputations and provide relief from other ischemic conditions.”

The license grants Alkem commercialization rights in the United States and India.

Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., the Wyss Institute’s Founding Director, said, “This technology license represents yet another successful initiative by the Wyss Institute to advance our mission of bringing lifesaving technologies out of the lab and into the real world. Alkem’ s position in India gives it the potential to reach many millions of patients who do not have access to expensive, brand-name treatments, which could significantly contribute to the reduction of human suffering globally.” Ingber is the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard SEAS.

At around 1:25 PM, Alkem Laboratories was trading at Rs3,456.10 apiece down by Rs42.15 or 1.2% on Sensex.