This project builds on the progress of Galapagos’s July 2006 IWT funded project, where new biological models were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of small molecules to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The new project will apply these biological models to select compounds for clinical studies.
The project also aims to develop and validate biomarkers to monitor disease progression and therapeutic response, which will be applied in the early phases of clinical development. The grant, which will be distributed over a three-year period, will offset preclinical and Phase I/Phase IIa clinical costs for Galapagos’s RA programs. As part of the project, Galapagos will collaborate with the University of Leuven.
Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos, said: “This grant allows us to accelerate our molecules through preclinical and into Phase I and Phase IIa development, bringing Galapagos a step closer to delivering novel and effective RA drugs to the patient.”