Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalem
Innovative Antibody Holds Promise for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Research Earns Hebrew University's Prof. Ofer Mandelboim the 2015 Kaye
Innovation Award
Type 1 diabetes, which usually
appears in children and adolescents, affects over 30 million people worldwide.
Resulting from an auto-immune reaction that destroys the pancreatic beta cells
that produce insulin, the disease leads to pathologically high levels of sugar
in the blood and urine, resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. The
current treatment for Type 1 diabetes is lifetime administration of insulin by
injection.
Working at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, Prof. Ofer Mandelboim identified an
important role played by a protein receptor called NKp46 in the development of
Type 1 diabetes. Mandelboim is a professor and researcher at the Lautenberg
Center for Immunology and Cancer Research at IMRIC —
the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, in the Hebrew
University’s Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Mandelboim and his research
collaborators found that the NKp46 receptor present on Natural Killer or NK
cells (an essential part of the immune system) play a critical role in the
development of the disease in mice. This happens because the NKp46 receptor recognizes
pancreatic beta cells, leading to their destruction.
The research also showed that
inhibiting the NKp46 receptor almost entirely prevented the development of
diabetes. If replicated in humans, this effect could significantly delay, and
potentially prevent, the need for chronic insulin use by Type 1 diabetes
patients, and help minimize diabetes-related complications.
This groundbreaking research is the
basis for BioLineRx's BL-9020, a monoclonal antibody that targets the Natural
Killer receptor NKp46.
Yissum, the
technology transfer company of the Hebrew University, together with partners,
signed an exclusive license agreement with BioLineRx to develop and
commercialize BL-9020 for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. BioLineRx is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, in-licensing
and developing promising therapeutic candidates.
In January 2014, BioLineRx entered
into a collaboration agreement with JHL Biotech for the further development and
commercialization of BL-9020 in China and additional Southeast Asia countries.
The Type 1 diabetes market was estimated at over $3.5 billion in 2012.
Studies in mouse models suggest that
BL-9020 can inhibit beta cell death in the pancreas, thus preventing full
maturation of Type 1 diabetes. In humans it could potentially treat Type 1
diabetes in early stage patients, during what is known as the "honeymoon
period," when the pancreatic beta cells have not been completely destroyed
and continue to secrete insulin.
The research that formed the basis for
developing BL-9020 has earned Prof. Mandelboim the prestigious 2015 Kaye Innovation Award.
The Kaye Innovation Awards have been
given annually since 1994. Isaac Kaye from the United
Kingdom, a prominent industrialist in the pharmaceutical industry, established
the awards to encourage faculty, staff and students of the Hebrew University to
develop innovative methods and inventions with good commercial potential which
will benefit the university and society.
The Hebrew University's Institute for
Medical Research-Israel Canada (IMRIC), in the Faculty of Medicine, brings
together Israel and Canada's most brilliant scientific minds to find solutions
to the world's most serious medical problems through a multidisciplinary
approach to biomedical research. More information at http://imric.org.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is
Israel’s leading academic and research institution, producing one-third of all
civilian research in Israel. For more information, visit http://new.huji.ac.il/en.
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