Metacrine Expands Patent Portfolio for Novel FGF-1 Program to Treat Diabetes

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Metacrine, Inc., a leading biotechnology company efficiently developing innovative drugs for metabolic diseases, announced the issuance of a new patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that supports development for the company's FGF-1 program.

The newly issued patent, US 9,446,097, covers methods for treatment of diabetic individuals with novel variants of the FGF-1 protein.  The inventors on the patent include Metacrine co-founders Ron Evans, PhD, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the March of Dimes Chair in Developmental and Molecular Biology and Professor and Director of the Gene Expression Laboratory at the Salk Institute, and Michael Downes, PhD, a Senior Staff Scientist from the Salk Institute.  Metacrine is the exclusive licensee to this patent and other members of the patent family. 

"The issuance of this new patent further strengthens the robust patent portfolio for our FGF-1 program," said Ken Song, MD, President and CEO of Metacrine.  "The recent discovery of FGF-1 as a potent insulin sensitizer opens up the exciting possibilities for FGF-1 variants as an entirely new mechanism to treat diabetes."

About Metacrine

Metacrine is a privately held biotechnology company headquartered in San Diego, CA. The company is focused on efficiently developing innovative drugs that materially benefit patients with metabolic disease.  For more information, visit www.metacrine.com.

Contact:
Julie Rathbun 
Rathbun Communications
[email protected]
206.769.9219

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160912/406819LOGO

SOURCE Metacrine

Related Links

http://www.metacrine.com