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New start-up company to develop novel medicines

13 December 2010

IXO Therapeutics Ltd, a new biotechnology company formed to research and develop novel medicines from natural sources for the treatment of immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, launches today (13 December 2010).

The new company, a start-up from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and focused on the development of intellectual property (IP) derived from both NERC and the University of Oxford, aims to develop recombinant protein products that will treat inflammation and diseases that affect the body's immune system. These proteins are all derived from natural sources and several are already being developed that will address unmet clinical and commercial need.

The portfolio of products is based on the work of Professor Pat Nuttall's group at NERC's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, in collaboration with research groups at the University of Oxford.

The portfolio includes a novel dendritic cell modulator - these cells are key regulators of the immune system and are found, for example, in the lymph nodes and spleen - and an LTB4 inhibitor. LTB4 is a key component of the immune system and encourages the white blood cells to attack disease, but in inflamed tissue it can actually exacerbate the condition. The IXO LTB4 inhibitor is a binding protein that will balance out the body's inflammatory response.

Professor Nuttall said, "The launch of IXO today is an important step forward as the research is now at a transitional stage. IXO expects to develop and produce a number of anti-inflammatory compounds that will target diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis - conditions that are in urgent need of new clinical approaches."

Professor Alan Thorpe, Chief Executive of NERC, said, "The transfer of knowledge from basic, long-term research such as this into start-up companies - where ideas are generated and turned into jobs - will aid economic growth. There is a significant opportunity for IXO Therapeutics to deliver both medicinal and economic value to the UK as the company develops its products."

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. More information about IXO Therapeutics Ltd can be found on their website.

2. NERC is the UK's main body for funding and managing world-class research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. It coordinates some of the world's most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on earth, and much more. NERC receives around £400m a year from the government's science budget, which it uses to fund independent research and training in universities and its own research centres.

Press release: 44/10