Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk to tackle Type 1 diabetes and obesity
Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk to tackle Type 1 diabetes and obesity
By Amanda Heidt
BioSpace
Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk are leveraging their respective expertise in biotissue printing and stem cell biology to pursue novel therapeutics for type 1 diabetes and obesity, according to a statement released Wednesday.
In a deal worth up to $2.6 billion, the two companies aim to create three-dimensional, biologically functional tissues containing insulin-producing cells that can be surgically implanted without the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
“Clinical experience in this field over the last decade has demonstrated that while having the right cells is extremely important, the delivery technology and methods are just as critical,” Jacob Sten Petersen, Novo’s head of cell therapy research and development, told BioSpace in an email. “We believe Aspect’s technology will enhance our efforts and allow us to accelerate our development of a treatment.”
Experts in the space welcomed the news. “It’s always great to see major companies understanding the value of this kind of technology and seeing these investments,” Adam Feinberg, a biomedical engineer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and CTO and cofounder of the bioprinting company FluidForm, told BioSpace. But he and others cautioned that there’s a long way to go before any fruits of the collaboration reach the clinic.
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys pancreatic insulin-producing beta islet cells. The disease disproportionately affects children and adolescents, and 64,000 people are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Obesity is typically associated with the later-onset type 2 diabetes, which involves other mechanisms that prevent the body from making enough insulin or using it well, but increasingly, scientists are noting links between obesity and the early-onset form. A recent study in the U.S. showed that 62 percent of adults with type 1 diabetes are affected by overweight or obesity.
Tamer Mohamed, CEO and cofounder of Aspect Biosystems, told BioSpace the collaboration was borne out of “an immediate need” for a cure, adding that “there are millions of patients around the world that have lost the ability to control blood glucose by themselves.” The partnership with Novo, a company that has been focusing on diabetes therapeutics for decades, will aim to first develop a treatment, but ultimately a cure, he said.
“Once we are hopefully successful in doing that, we can move forward to other areas,” Mohamed added, including type 2 diabetes and liver disease.
Chances of Success
In exchange for an exclusive, worldwide license to use Aspect Biosystem’s bioprinting technology, Novo will fund an initial payment of $75 million USD to Aspect—including an upfront payment, research funding and an investment in the form of a convertible note—to develop up to four products for the treatment of diabetes and/or obesity. Aspect is also eligible to receive up to $650 million dollars per project based on future development, regulatory, commercial and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on product sales, for a total deal evaluation of more than $2.6 billion USD.
The companies’ bioengineered tissues approach will face a host of challenges, including overcoming the body’s natural inclination to destroy the very cells being introduced into patients, said Ibrahim Ozbolat, a biomedical engineer at Penn State University who is developing roughly a dozen different biotissues.
Source: BioSpace
