CleveXel Pharma to license two new oncology patents from SATT Sud Est

CleveXel Pharma, a highly experienced pharmaceutical developer that conforms fully with global regulatory compliance, today announces that it has been granted a license by the SATT Sud Est, a technology transfer accelerator in South Eastern France (Societe d’Acceleration du Transfert de Technologies Sud Est), to exploit two patents.

The license arose from SATT Sud Est development efforts and EUR 260,000 (USD 334,000) of funding. Under the terms of the agreement, CleveXel Pharma will pay a percentage of all revenue to SATT Sud Est. This will vary depending on the stage of development reached.

The first patent relates to the use of triazole nucleoside derivatives (TND) in the treatment of cancer, particularly azacitidine-resistant myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) that may also develop into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The second patent concerns a companion diagnostic test to identify the patients who are resistant to the standard treatment; azacitidine.

This project is the result of collaboration between three teams. The first one is led by Dr Patrick Auberger, director of the C3M (Mediterranean Center for Molecular Medicine, a reference center for oncology research founded by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis). The second team is headed by Dr Rachid Benhida, deputy director of the Institut de Chimie (institute of chemistry) in Nice (ICN). Dr Thomas Cluzeau, a hematology resident at Nice university teaching hospital has also been involved. The project combines the support from SATT Sud Est, CleveXel Pharma’s background in pharmaceutical development and three complementary areas of academic expertise (biology, chemistry, and clinical practice) to overcome the technological hurdles.

This is the 20th pharmaceutical contract granted by SATT Sud Est. Since it was established in 2012, SATT Sud Est has granted about 30 licenses.

“CleveXel is a new player in pharmaceutical development that looks to win-win partnerships to share the risks associated with the development of health care projects,” said Olivier Freneaux, chairman of SATT Sud Est. “We feel confident that this exploitation license granted to CleveXel Pharma is just the first of what will become a lasting partnership.”

“For CleveXel Pharma, this partnership with SATT Sud Est paves the way for real innovation in oncology. We are very pleased with this agreement, which provides an ideal opportunity to showcase this innovative project, as we fulfill unmet medical needs. CleveXel Pharma’s know-how and expertise in drug development add value to this venture, instigated by SATT Sud Est,” said Christian Bloy, chairman and CEO of CleveXel Pharma. “We will make this license a flagship project in our portfolio and take it through to clinical development. We also appreciated the involvement of the researchers in chemistry, biology and clinical practice.”

This project is also supported by MATWIN (Maturation and Accelerating Translation With INdustry), a French national sourcing and support program for oncology research projects (the only one of its kind in Europe). MATWIN has the backing of the Canceropole PACA, the cancer research cluster for France’s Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region, allowing researchers to take ownership of the challenges of technology transfer with feedback from industry experts.