VANCOUVER, British Columbia and SEATTLE, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KDNY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases, today announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Morehouse School of Medicine for certain patents supporting the development of therapeutics in kidney diseases that disproportionately affect people of West African descent and underserved communities.
Under the terms of the agreement, Chinook has been granted an exclusive, worldwide, sublicensable, royalty-bearing right and license under certain patents related to methods and compositions for the treatment and detection of kidney diseases, including HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) and/or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) using endothelin-1 receptor antagonists, to develop and commercialize therapeutic products. Terms of the license agreement have not been disclosed.
“We are pleased to partner with Morehouse School of Medicine as we share a commitment to developing precision medicine therapies for kidney diseases with significant unmet medical needs, particularly in underserved populations,” said Tom Frohlich, chief business officer of Chinook. “We intend to continue expanding the depth and breadth of our intellectual property portfolio as we advance our product pipeline and bring forward therapies that potentially improve health outcomes for all patients.”
“African Americans are three times more likely to require renal replacement therapy than their white counterparts. We are excited to partner with Chinook Therapeutics,” noted James Lillard, Associate Dean for Research Affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine. “This partnership is well-aligned with our shared vision of leading the creation and advancement of health equity.”
About Chinook Therapeutics, Inc.
Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines for kidney diseases. Chinook’s product candidates are being investigated in rare, severe chronic kidney disorders with opportunities for well-defined clinical pathways. Chinook’s lead program is atrasentan, an investigational Phase 3-ready endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases. BION-1301, an investigational anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody is being evaluated in a Phase 1b trial for IgA nephropathy. In addition, Chinook is advancing CHK-336, a small-molecule preclinical development candidate for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, as well as research programs for other rare, severe chronic kidney diseases, including polycystic kidney disease. Chinook is building its pipeline by leveraging insights in kidney single cell RNA sequencing, human-derived organoids and new translational models, to discover and develop therapeutics with differentiating mechanisms of action against key kidney disease pathways. To learn more, visit www.chinooktx.com.
About Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)
Founded in 1975, MSM is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians and was recognized by Annals of Internal Medicine in 2011 as the top institution in the first study of U.S. medical schools for our social mission based on our production of primary care physicians, training of underrepresented minority doctors and placement of doctors practicing in underserved communities. Our faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. For more information, visit www.msm.edu.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward looking, including those relating to Chinook’s business, future operations, advancement of its product candidates and product pipeline, clinical development of its product candidates, including expectations regarding timing of initiation and results of clinical trials. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “project,” “expect” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, whether results of early clinical trials or preclinical studies will be indicative of the results of future trials, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that may be more advanced or have greater resources than we do, our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates and the effects of COVID-19 on our clinical programs and business operations. Many of these risks are described in greater detail in our filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Chinook assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Contact:
Noopur Liffick
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
510-809-2465
investors@chinooktx.com
media@chinooktx.com