News and Events > EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH APRO BIOPHARMA

EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH APRO BIOPHARMA

AURORA, CO - May 15, 2006, the University of Colorado announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Apro Bio Pharmaceutical, a startup biotechnology company , to develop novel drugs that may be effective against bioweapon attacks and other bacterial infections. Under the terms of the agreement, Apro has been granted an exclusive worldwide license on the CU proprietary technology to develop and commercialize a new group of antibacterial compounds. Apro plans to invest more than $1M in funds over three years to support the ongoing work at Dr. Shapiro's CU laboratory. The research initiated in Dr. Leland Shapiro's laboratory has provided the basis for the development of a new class of compounds against bacterial infections. This novel therapeutic approach has already been tested in-vitro and will now be tested in animals for efficacy. If successful, the combined CU and Apro data will be the basis for further pre-clinical and clinical testing of the lead compounds. Apro believes that the FDA approval process will be fast tracked because certain substances tested are already approved for human use. Apro recognizes that this particular CU technology has the potential to improve available treatments for bacterial infections because it covers a broad spectrum of bacterial and possibly non-bacterial infections. Unlike antibiotics, currently limited by their specificity to individual types of bacteria, the CU compounds work by a mechanism believed to be common to bacterial, as well as some non-bacterial infections. The CU technology has shown efficacy in preventing infections and may have use treating already established infections. This could become an essential component of a first line of treatment for a bioterrorism event or a naturally-occurring unexpected outbreak.