Wednesday, November 12, 2008

CombinatoRx receives $450K for muscular dystrophy R&D

By Mass High Tech Staff

A local biopharmaceuticals company is set to receive a nearly half-million dollar infusion to find a cure to the most common form of muscular dystrophy.

Cambridge-based CombinatoRx Inc. (Nasdaq: CRXX) on Wednesday said that the Gavriel Meir Trust has awarded it $450,000 to fund the research and development of a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The company’s approach relies on creating “synergistic” drug combinations, according to its website. These combinations are more capable of treating a disease than a single drug would be. The combined drugs also can attack a disease through multiple pathways and strike at multiple targets. As part of this effort, CombinatoRx relies on High Throughput Screening technology, a robotic drug screening system.

The Gavriel Meyer Trust is hoping this award will accelerate CombinatoRx’s research program, according to a statement. The DMD is a 100-percent fatal, muscle-wasting ailment and also the most widespread lethal genetic disorder afflicting children worldwide. In the United States, some 15,000 to 20,000 children suffer from DMD. The Gavriel Meyer Trust is a non-profit that was founded in 2007 specifically to identify cures for the disease.

Launched in 2000, CombinatoRx currently has a portfolio of technologies in Phase 2 clinical development. It seeks to treat a variety of ailments, including immuno-inflammatory diseases, cancer, and metabolic diseases. The company’s total funding so far has been under $50 million.