Applied Molecular Transport Announces Research and Development Collaboration with Janssen and Johnson & Johnson Innovation for Novel Therapeutic Candidate to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Molecular Transport, LLC, today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration and license agreement granting Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, an exclusive, worldwide license for an orally administered biopharmaceutical product candidate specifically engineered for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Applied Molecular Transport's technology, TRANSINT, enables the development of oral biopharmaceuticals and RNA therapeutics for local gastrointestinal targeting or systemic release. Under the terms of the agreement, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, California, Applied Molecular Transport is eligible to receive upfront license fees, support for research activities conducted in collaboration with Janssen immunology scientists, and milestone payments upon achievement of defined development, regulatory and commercialization milestones, plus tiered royalties on worldwide sales.

"The gastrointestinal submucosa is a region rich in immune targets that modulate local and systemic diseases, including inflammation," said Tahir Mahmood, PhD, founder and Chief Business Officer at Applied Molecular Transport. "The role of molecular trafficking technologies as engines for the development of next-generation, orally administered biopharmaceuticals has been recognized as a significant area of opportunity in the pharmaceutical industry. We are excited to collaborate with Janssen to advance this important platform strategy and program. Furthermore, we look forward to continued progress with our platform in growing our oral biologics pipeline aimed at an array of other targets in multiple therapeutic areas."

"Efficiently accessing the submucosal tissue along the gastrointestinal tract is vital to effectively and safely targeting key modulators of chronic inflammation," said Richard Blumberg, MD, scientific advisor to Applied Molecular Transport and Chief of Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Co-Director of Harvard Digestive Diseases Center and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. "Applied Molecular Transport has a powerful platform to develop oral biological therapeutics against highly promising targets that can significantly impact patient health."

About Applied Molecular Transport

Applied Molecular Transport is advancing a pipeline of oral biological therapeutics to treat immune-mediated inflammation and metabolic diseases. Led by an experienced management team and supported by world class scientific, clinical and business advisors, our goal is to enhance therapeutic outcomes, while improving patient convenience and drug regimen adherence, by converting injectable products to oral dosage forms. Our proprietary platform utilizes microbe-inspired scaffold design to engineer proteins capable of overcoming gastrointestinal epithelial barriers to achieve best-in-class biopharmaceutical transport efficiency and selective cell targeting. We are focusing on high value opportunities with superior pharmacological benefits due to the route of administration. Our development pipeline is fueled by novel technologies for constructing, robustly screening and scientifically validating therapeutic candidates, and is poised to transform major segments of the rapidly growing biological therapeutics market. Please visit www.appliedmt.com for more information.

Contact:

Applied Molecular Transport
Tahir Mahmood
[email protected] 
+1 (650) 491-9639

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SOURCE Applied Molecular Transport, LLC

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