NanoCarrier and Debiopharm in platinum DDS collaboration

Debiopharm - an independent drug-development company specialising in oncology, endocrinology and niche products - has signed a research collaboration with NanoCarrier - a company specialising in the development of drugs based on its proprietary micellar nanoparticle drug delivery systems (DDS) technology - to develop a new platinum compound.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Debiopharm has the exclusive option to license-in a DACH-platin-PEG-polyglutamic acid (DACH Platin Medicelle) from NanoCarrier, for use in oncology, (preliminary animal experiments demonstrate that Medicelle technology offers enhanced permeability and retention of the compound in the tumour, leading to improved efficacy and toxicity profiles), and will fund the entire development of the product.

NanoCarrier will receive cash milestones, as well as royalties when the product is marketed.

The mechanism of the Medicelle delivery system is based on the formation of micelles, including hydrophilic-hydrophobic block co-polymers, with a hydrophobic, oil-loving, inner core and hydrophilic, water-loving, outer shell allowing the chemical entrapment of various drugs into the micelles before the drugs are slowly released into the organism.

'It is a pleasure to collaborate with Debiopharm, a company with proven drug development expertise; their cancer product Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) is a marketed blockbuster,' said Ichiro Nakatomi, NanoCarrier's president and ceo. 'This collaboration is also a great opportunity for NanoCarrier's Medicelle technology, which we hope will provide cancer patients with a new class of targeted drugs.'