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China-based Simcere Pharmaceutical Group has entered into a research collaboration agreement with Stanford Medicine, US to jointly advance an exploratory study in the respiratory field, with the aim of developing innovative therapies for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
According to the agreement, Simcere Pharmaceutical will fund the exploratory research of this first-in-class novel molecule. Upon successful completion, Simcere will in-license the molecule and obtain 100% of the global rights to the resulting product.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with world-class chemical biology laboratories at Stanford Medicine led by Chaitan Khosla, PhD, and Cui Bianxiao, PhD, affiliated with the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial pneumonia of unknown etiology, characterised by fibrosis that primarily affects the pulmonary interstitium, leading to stiffening and loss of elasticity of lung tissue, and ultimately resulting in respiratory failure. Current medical treatments cannot completely reverse pulmonary fibrosis; from the time of diagnosis, the median survival time of patients is approximately 3 years, with a 5-year survival rate of only 20–40%.
Zhou Gaobo, Chief Investment Officer of Simcere Pharmaceutical, stated: "This marks the second first-in-class original project worldwide in collaboration between Simcere and Stanford Medicine. This ongoing collaboration reflects Simcere's active steps toward Innovation 2.0 and fulfills its corporate mission ('For patients, for life')."
