Bioasis is focused on overcoming the limitations of therapeutic drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.
As part of the deal, MedImmune will assess the therapeutic effect of its pre-clinical assets with next-generation versions of biOasis’s Transcend brain delivery platform.
Efficient transport of drugs targeted at the central nervous system is hampered by the blood-brain barrier.
biOasis said that its Transcend platform, which has the ability to shuttle compounds across the barrier, may hold a solution to this problem.
biOasis chief scientist Reinhard Gabathuler said the company’s relationship with MedImmune started in November 2012.
"In our collaboration, we demonstrated transport of MedImmune’s antibodies into the brain using our first-generation Transcend vector," Gabathuler said.
"In addition, we introduced our second-generation Transcend vector into this collaboration and other programs we have underway, where we have observed equivalent or increased antibody transport into the brain.
"We feel that this next generation of Transcend will have specific advantages in transporting certain biologics into the brain."
Both the companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the evaluation agreement.
MedImmune associate director of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering Carl Webster said," Our recently completed initial collaboration was very positive and led us to decide to undertake this second project to investigate the therapeutic effect and utility of biOasis’s technology."