Oxford BioMedica repots that its Innurex programme for treating spinal cord injury was highlighted in a briefing at the Science Media Centre in London for the Applied Genomics Link programme
This Link programme is supported by the UK government and provided £30 million to fund projects that accelerate the application of genomics in medicine and healthcare.
This briefing and evening reception are a showcase for the outcomes of the successful Applied Genomics Link Programme that enabled over 20 small and medium-sized enterprises to work with academic research groups to exploit genomics for healthcare applications.
This programme has been jointly sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI).
The reception is designed to highlight the strength of the UK science base and innovation, including Oxford BioMedica's Innurex programme, to parliamentarians and leading figures from industry, academia and other stakeholders including patient groups.
The reception is intended to provide an opportunity for researchers, civil societies, parliamentarians, policy makers and the business sector to discuss the role of research in advancing UK healthcare.
Oxford BioMedica's Innurex programme is designed to induce nerve repair in spinal cord injuries.
The product delivers the RarB2 gene using the company's proprietary LentiVector gene delivery technology.
The gene causes nerve cells to 'sprout' new nerve fibres that have the potential to remake connections that may restore both sensation and movement to limbs.
The genomics studies that are funded by the Link programme aim to understand key biological pathways that lead to nerve regeneration following treatment with Innurex.
Innurex is being developed in collaboration with scientists at King's College London.
In September 2002, the collaboration received funding from the DTI through the Applied Genomics LINK programme.
Further support was received in April 2004 from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation who awarded a grant to the company's collaborators at King's College London to pursue the study of Innurex in spinal cord injury.
Commenting on the profile given to Innurex at today's events, Oxford BioMedica's CEO, Alan Kingsman, said: "We are very pleased that Innurex is being highlighted by the DTI and other sponsors of the LINK programme as a successful application of grant money".
"We have made excellent progress with Innurex in our preclinical models of spinal cord and related injuries and we are now planning its clinical development for these disorders where there are currently no effective treatment options."
