Marcadia, IU in metabolic research deal

INDIANAPOLIS—Marcadia Biotech announced it signed a licensing agreement with Indiana University Research and Technology Corp. (IURTC) that will give the start-up company the rights to develop and market drug candidates in the therapeutic area of metabolic diseases.

"This licensing agreement and related sponsored-research agreement form the foundation of our efforts to develop novel treatments for metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity," says Fritz French, CEO of Carmel, Ind.-based Marcadia. In addition to the agreement with IURTC, which markets intellectual property developed at the university, Marcadia also signed a separate sponsored-research agreement with IU Bloomington.

The agreement with IURTC gives Marcadia the rights to further develop and market new technologies from the DiMarchi Laboratory at IU Bloomington. Marcadia will, in turn, provide ongoing funding of the laboratory's research.

The laboratory, led by Richard DiMarchi, Ph.D., chair and professor of IU Bloomington department of chemistry, focuses its research on the discovery and development of syn thetic peptide-based drugs.

Marcadia recently received a $2 million 21st Century Research and Technology Award from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. It will fund development of the company's first product, a glucagon analog that will be supplied in an injector pen, making it ready for quick use in emergency treatment of hypoglycemia. Unlike glucagon, the synthetic product is stable in solution and is also more potent, notes Jack Pincus, VP for technology transfer at IURTC.

"We are very pleased to have formed this collaborative relationship with Marcadia Biotech," Pincus adds. "Our aspirations are very high for this exciting technology, particularly now that the Marcadia team will be driving its development."