Newswise — Florida Atlantic University has entered into a licensing agreement with Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients with rare (orphan) neurological diseases. The portfolio of patents focuses on the PKG (protein kinase G) pathway, which plays a pivotal role in several neurological conditions by controlling cortical spreading depolarization. Research at FAU has found that neurological diseases, including hemiplegic migraine – a severe type of migraine that can affect patients up to 15 times a month and can paralyze half the body – as well as neural trauma (traumatic brain injury and spinal shock), stroke, and epileptic conditions can be targeted through the PKG signaling pathway.
Under a prior agreement, FAU took the lead in commercializing its patent in combination with a patent from the University of Toronto. FAU licensed its faculty-related spinoff company to Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc. to commercially distribute this intellectual property for the benefit of patients globally.
“We are very excited to be licensing these patents from Florida Atlantic University, which is great news for Neuro Pharmalogics, but more importantly for hemiplegic migraine sufferers world-wide,” said David D. Muth, president, CEO, and founder of Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc. “We intend to diligently develop NP-101, a PP2A inhibitor, for this very debilitating and rare condition.”
Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., MSc, associate professor of biological sciences in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and a founder and chief scientific officer of Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc., has been studying the PKG pathway to understand how animals adapt to different types of environmental stress, such as low oxygen and high temperature. His research, which is a part of the Jupiter Life Science Initiative, has provided important insight for spreading depolarization, neural anoxia, and neural thermoprotection.
Earlier this year, Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc., joined FAU’s Tech Runway® as the Neuroscience Pillar Award Winner. Under the purview of FAU’s Division of Research, Tech Runway® is a public-private partnership formed to foster technology start-ups and early-stage companies. Since its inception in late 2014, FAU Tech Runway® has supported 15 companies that have produced more than $3 million in total revenue.
“This licensing agreement is a testament to Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully’s world-class research here at Florida Atlantic University,” said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., FAU’s vice president for research. “The highly experienced leadership team at Neuro Pharmalogics will take this innovative research to the next level with the ultimate goal of developing and commercializing a treatment for hemiplegic migraine.”
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About Florida Atlantic University:Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
About Neuro Pharmalogics Inc. Neuro Pharmalogics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients with rare (orphan) neurological diseases caused by PKG signaling dysfunction. The company is raising capital — its initial goal is $3-4 million to complete the pre-clinical work and file an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human clinical trials.
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