U Maryland-Baltimore licenses lung injury treatment to GEn1E Lifesciences

Published 10/24/18 on Tech Transfer eNews Blog

Preclinical stage drug developer GEn1E Lifesciences has entered into a license agreement with the University of Maryland-Baltimore (UMB) to commercialize a treatment for acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS).

Developed by UMB researchers Paul S. Shapiro and Alexander D. MacKerell Jr., the licensed technology involves special inhibitors with anti-inflammatory activities that target ALI/ARDS without the toxicities associated with previous generations of treatments.

“UMB scientists have developed impressive preclinical data in ALI/ARDS animal models, suggesting real potential as a first indication for this invention to help treat patients with ALI/ARDS,” says GEn1E co-founder and CEO Ritu Lal. “This is a rare disease with no therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ALI/ARDS has a very high mortality rate (40%) and high hospital/ICU costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient.”

“UMB had identified this technology as having great commercial potential,” says Phil Robilotto, chief commercialization officer with the university’s tech transfer arm UM Ventures. “We are therefore particularly excited to see such rapid external validation through this exciting strategic partnership with GEn1E Lifesciences.”