News and Events > CU Announces Agreements with Aptus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dharmacon Research

CU Announces Agreements with Aptus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dharmacon Research

December 4, 2002

BOULDER-The University of Colorado's Technology Transfer office has completed two licensing agreements with Aptus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dharmacon Research, Inc.

"These two agreements demonstrate the excellence of our faculty research," said David N. Allen, Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer. "In the case of Aptus, CU technology will be used to identify drugs that have the potential to contribute directly to human health and well-being. Dharmacon will use CU's 2' ACE chemistry for drug discovery, and the breakthrough synthesis makes RNA available routinely in biotechnology laboratories worldwide. These licenses bring to fruition many years of research, and return to the public the benefit of new technology -- the true mission of Technology Transfer."

Aptus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Maryland, has entered into an agreement with CU to commercially develop and market a new drug discovery technology. The technology, invented by CU Health Sciences Center researchers Jeffery Karpen, Thomas Rich, Dermot Cooper, and Jerry Schaack enables detection of cellular responses to drug candidates.

Aptus will develop the technology to enhance its drug discovery platform for compounds that target the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family. G-protein coupled receptors represent the most lucrative class of drug targets and are known to play a key role in disease symptoms and disease progression for many major indications, including cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Drugs that target GPCRs accounted for $60 billion in sales in 2000 and represent 31 of the top 100 drugs currently on the market.

The second agreement is an exclusive license with Lafayette, Colorado-based Dharmacon Research, Inc. The licensed technology for nucleic acid synthesis, patented as 2'-ACE® chemistry, was developed at CU-Boulder by Stephen Scaringe, Ph.D., now President, CEO and CSO for Dharmacon, and Marvin Caruthers, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at CU-Boulder.

Dharmacon Research, Inc., recently renamed Dharmacon, Inc., was founded in 1995 to develop and commercialize a new method for RNA oligonucleotide synthesis. The company researches ribonucleic acid, or RNA, and how it influences the proteins that help cells carry out their functions. By understanding RNA's role, scientists can better assess the potential for drugs to intervene when proteins malfunction -- a phenomenon behind a variety of today's diseases. Dharmacon is the chosen supplier cited 4 to 1 in scientific publications (siRNA), and its products and services are used by more than 7,000 researchers at nearly 900 pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic institutions in more than 38 countries worldwide.

Technology Transfer has become a priority at CU because Tech Transfer has the power to significantly impact society and the economy by bringing to market needed knowledge and innovation that translates into products, services and jobs.

The mission of the CU Technology Transfer Office is to aggressively pursue, protect, package, and license to business the intellectual property generated from the research enterprise and to serve faculty, staff, and students seeking to create such intellectual property. For more information on CU's technology transfer services go to www.cu.edu/techtransfer.

The University of Colorado is a four-campus system with three general campuses in Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs, and a Health Sciences Center campus located in Denver and at the former Fitzsimons Army Base in Aurora. For further information, please contact Bob Nero or Michele McKinney in the CU System Office of Institutional Relations at 303.492.6206.