Ipsen signs research and development collaboration with Harvard Medical

According to the deal, Harvard research is aimed at the discovery, evaluation and development of engineered recombinant botulinum toxins that will be funded by Ipsen for a minimum of three years.

Ipsen chief scientific officer and R&D executive vice president Claude Bertrand said, "This collaboration further strengthens Ipsen’s position in biotechnology as a major player focused on the discovery and development of therapeutic toxins to provide innovative therapies for patients with serious neurologic disorders."

Exclusive worldwide rights on any candidate recombinant toxin resulting from the collaboration will be owned by Ipsen, which will carry out the development and marketing of the new toxins.

In exchange, Harvard will earn associated upfront, milestones and royalty payments.

Harvard Medical School the New England Primate Research Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology microbiology and immunobiology instructor Dr Min Dong said, "Our collaboration with Ipsen to discover novel engineered botulinum toxins will greatly facilitate our research efforts to potentially bring novel therapeutics to the benefit of patients suffering from highly debilitating conditions."