MediGene receives €1.4 million research grant for EndoTAG development

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., March 17 - MediGene AG said it has received a grant of €1,397,200 from the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung, to be spent over a period of three years, to extend development of its EndoTAG technology.

The technology is currently indicated for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The grant will fund the evaluation and research of new therapeutic approaches for disease treatment where the pathogenic formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) plays a pivotal role, according to a company news release.

MediGene said it will work with four research units of the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.

Apart from solid tumors, numerous diseases are characterized by pathogenic formation of new blood vessels. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory process that destroys joints, and age-related macular degeneration, a disease that leads to blindness.

Both conditions represent a promising starting point for the therapeutic application of the patent-protected EndoTAG technology, the company said.

"We are very proud that an independent scientific council advised the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung to fund the development of our innovative EndoTAG platform technology with such a large amount of money," chief executive officer Peter Heinrich said in a statement.

"The funds will enable us to fully utilize the network of top researchers at the Munich life science campus for the development of novel active agents and for the evaluation of angiogenesis as a novel approach in drug development."

MediGene is a biotechnology company with locations in Martinsried, Germany, and San Diego.

The Bayerische Forschungsstiftung is a German research foundation that supports research projects of signifiance to the scientific, technological and economical development of the State of Bavaria.

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