Emiliem gets global rights to NHI drug candidates

Emiliem, a privately-held US biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel molecular targeted therapeutics, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the National Institutes of Health for the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize a series of compounds that modulate key biological pathways known to be important in the progression of cancer and other proliferative and inflammatory diseases. The lead compound, which is positioned for clinical trials within a year, targets a key mechanism that determines whether cells, particularly those in tumors, grow and proliferate.

Dale Johnson, chief executive of Emiliem stated: "this is a seminal moment in the history of our company. Not only do we gain a well-researched molecule at an advanced preclinical stage, but this also enables us to focus our internal discovery efforts including medicinal chemistry and early stage development activities around the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, a series of biological events that control protein synthesis, angiogenesis, and cell cycle progression. Our ongoing research on the chemical-biological mechanisms of action within this pathway and on the identification of patient-selection biomarkers will benefit the development of this molecule as well as the rest of our entire pipeline."