PETACH-TIKVA, ISRAEL--(Marketwire - November 9, 2010) - Aposense Ltd. (TELAVIV: APOS), a world leader in developing diagnostic and therapeutic drugs based on in vivo targeting of apoptosis (programmed cell death), today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Roche. Under the agreement, Roche will use Aposense's EarliTest™ solution, in Roche's oncology development program. EarliTest™, comprising the ML-10 imaging agent for imaging apoptosis with PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and dedicated image analysis software, is designed to image tumor response early during treatment and has the potential to accelerate drug development by providing feedback on the biological effect of treatment very early on. Data to be generated from the collaboration will provide an opportunity for the parties to expand utility of EarliTest™ to novel oncological therapies.
"This collaboration with Roche, an industry leader in the field of oncology, demonstrates the interest within the pharmaceutical industry in using novel tools for early assessment of response to anticancer treatment in clinical trials," said Yoram Ashery, CEO of Aposense. "The delayed availability of feedback on drug activity using traditional methods is a significant unmet need, not only for patients, but also in the development of novel therapies for combating cancer."
Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, Roche will fund the clinical trials and pay Aposense certain license and milestone fees, in undisclosed amounts.
About Aposense
Aposense (TELAVIV: APOS) is a leader in translating apoptosis (programmed cell death) to molecular based diagnosis and therapy. Apoptosis is a biological process involved in most medical disorders, including in oncology, neurology and cardiology areas. Aposense novel agents leverage its platform technology of rationally-designed small molecules for targeting cells undergoing apoptosis. Aposense's molecular imaging business features clinical and pre-clinical solutions for in vivo imaging of apoptosis, including ML-10, for apoptosis imaging with PET, which is in multi-center phase 2 trials, and the EarliTest™ image analysis system. Aposense's global distribution and co-marketing partner for ML-10 is IBA, the world's largest PET radio-pharmacy network. In the therapeutic area, Aposense is working in partnership with Teva Pharmaceuticals in co-development of novel targeted agents utilizing generic chemotherapies and expects enter to other therapeutic areas in 2011. Aposense is chaired by Mr. Eli Hurvitz, formerly Chairman and CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals, and has recently concluded its IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Contact Information:
Contacts:
David Carey
Lazar Partners Ltd.
212-867-1768