San Diego based Abide Therapeutics has entered into a collaborative agreement with the University of Oxford and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust to explore the therapeutic potential of serine hydrolases, a validated but under explored class of drug targets. Under the three year agreement, Abide and Oxford will explore the role of monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors in altering endocannabinoid tone in the human brain. The collaboration will combine the unique experience and capabilities of FMRIB, led by Irene Tracey with Abide’s unique chemoproteomics platform. The goals of the collaboration are to explore MGLL in a number of clinical indications including pain and inflammatory conditions.
“This collaborative agreement is a true delight as it extends the founding vision of Abide which is to partner with enlightened academic investigators that have unique insights into how best to test novel therapies at the earliest stages of clinical development,” said Alan Ezekowitz, President and CEO of Abide Therapeutics. “Furthermore, the institutional component of the agreement is only possible because of the great execution of Sir John Bell’s vision establishing Oxford as one the foremost academic centres in the world for translational science.”
Under the agreement, Abide will provide support for at least three Phase 1B studies as well as for directed new target discovery efforts. The collaboration has been supported through the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
This collaboration with Abide is part of our commitment to translate research discoveries into the clinic to develop new medicines to improve survival and quality of life for patients around the world.
- Prof Sir John Bell