Compugen strikes drug deal with Teva

The agreement covers both an initial research collaboration and an option to Teva for a worldwide exclusive development and commercialization license.

CGEN-54, a drug candidate for chronic inflammatory diseases, is one of a large number of novel splice variants predicted in silico using a Compugen discovery engine, and then validated experimentally.

According to the agreement, Compugen will provide Teva with research quantities of the drug. Teva will then conduct further in vivo validation experiments and has received from Compugen an option to enter into an exclusive, worldwide milestone and royalty-bearing license agreement for the development and commercialization of any resulting products.

CGEN-54 is an antagonistic variant of MCP1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1). MCP1 – also named CCL2 – belongs to the CC protein family. Binding of this protein to its cognate receptor, CCR2, leads to the recruitment of specialized immune cells into the site of inflammation, often leading to chronic inflammation.

CGEN-54 is a novel splice variant of MCP1 which has now been shown to inhibit MCP1 related activity. The companies say the inhibition of the MCP1-CCR2 pathway represents a promising target to effectively modulate disease progression in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.