Lys Therapeutics and Inserm Transfert sign a three-year agreement for joint research on stroke and multiple sclerosis

The goal of this collaborative agreement is to prepare the clinical trials of Lys Therapeutics’ flagship molecule to improve treatment of patients suffering from neurological disorders

Caen & Lyon, France, 03 March 2022 – Lys Therapeutics, a French biotech company developing innovative treatments for neurovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, announces today that a three-year research agreement was signed with Inserm Transfert, acting for Inserm and the University of Caen-Normandy. This collaboration contract stems from the licensing agreement signed by Lys Therapeutics to obtain exclusive worldwide rights on the portfolio of patents protecting the Company’s drug candidates. This research collaboration aims to generate new preclinical data in order to support the clinical trials of Lys Therapeutics’ flagship molecule, the monoclonal antibody glunomab for the treatment of neurovascular disorders such as stroke, or of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Worldwide exclusive license for Lys Therapeutics

Lys Therapeutics holds the exclusive worldwide rights for patents protecting the Company’s drug candidates for all applications and all territories. This agreement was negotiated with Inserm Transfert, extended today by a three-year research agreement. This collaboration will result in a base of new preclinical data allowing the preparation of the future stages of clinical development of the Company.

A world-renowned institute and exceptional high-resolution imagery to decipher the brain

As part of the collaboration, several significant players contribute to developing this research:

PhIND (Physiopathology and Imagery of Neurological Disorders, UMR-S 1237), a mixed research laboratory of Inserm and University of Caen-Normandy, directed by Pr. Denis Vivien,
BB@C Institute (Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandy Institute) from Inserm, University of Caen-Normandy and Caen-Normandy University Hospital,
Cyceron, a cutting-edge platform for high-resolution biomedical imagery especially in the field of neurosciences, whose founding members include CEA, CNRS, Inserm, University of Caen-Normandy, Caen-Normandy University Hospital, the François Baclesse Center, as well as the Normandy Region and Caen-La-Mer urban community.

“Being able to collaborate with research teams, clinicians and key opinion leaders with such experience represents a unique opportunity for Lys Therapeutics » explains Manuel Blanc, CEO and cofounder of the company, adding “after a successful first phase of development, this collaboration is a new acceleration for the company. It will allow us to continue demonstrating the worldwide exclusivity of the mechanism of action as well as the unprecedented therapeutic efficacy of our monoclonal antibody glunomab.”

“Through this collaboration, we hope to continue to develop the clinical potential for research coming out of our laboratories. We are very pleased about the partnership with Lys Therapeutics which will allow us to truly move forward to satisfy the medical needs of patients with serious neurological disorders” explains Pr. Denis Vivien, University Professor-Hospital Practitioner, Director of PhIND and Scientific Director of the Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandy Institute.

“Inserm Transfert is proud to have contributed to the signature of this collaboration agreement with Lys Therapeutics, biotechnology company spin-off from Inserm and University of Caen-Normandy. This agreement will allow fundamental research to find practical applications that serve human health and patients” declared Pascale Augé, Chairman of the Board for Inserm Transfert.

“Collaborating with Lys Therapeutics meets the purpose of Cyceron: to gather the best of fundamental and entrepreneurial research in a single place, with the support of its technology platform for world class, biomedical and multimodal imagery. Long term, Cyceron is happy to provide technologies and skills to Lys Therapeutics to contribute to this ambitious drug development project, through a translational approach benefitting patients with neurological disorders” explains Benoit Haelewyn, Director of Cyceron.

About PhIND (Physiopathology and Imagery of Neurological Disorders) research unit

PhIND (Physiopathology and Imagery of Neurological Disorders) is a research unit of Inserm and Caen-Normandy University, and belongs to the BB@C Institute. PhIND biomedical research laboratory implements innovative tools to improve the understanding of physiological and pathological mechanisms of the central nervous system. “Better understanding the molecular processes involved in the physiopathology of diseases gives the tools for better diagnostics and improved treatment for the ’ills’ of society” explains Pr. Denis Vivien, PhIND Laboratory Director. www.phind.fr

About BB@C Institute

The Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandy Institute (BB@C), founded by Inserm, the University of Caen-Normandy and the Caen-Normandy University Hospital, supported by the Normandy Region as well as private foundations, is internationally recognized for the excellence of its biomedical and translational research activities. BB@C brings together scientists of different horizons. Collectively, the teams at BB@C share four main goals: 1) Improving research in neurovascular, neurological and psychiatric disorders, particularly involving blood-brain interactions, 2) Obtaining a high level of expertise and knowledge in these fields, 3) Promoting innovations and partnerships to the benefit of patients, 4) Bringing science and the general public closer together in a climate of mutual confidence. The different structures constituting BB@C (institutions, laboratories, technology platforms, start-ups and CROs.) combine complementary skills and expertise in a translational science approach for a common purpose: advancing research on neurovascular, neurological and psychiatric disorders in order to improve patient care. www.bb-c.fr

About Cyceron

Cyceron (GIP, “Groupement d’Intérêt Public“) is a unique ensemble of buildings and heavy equipment for research in imagery, neurosciences, cardiosciences and oncology (8000m²). Its technology continuum includes in one place more than 50 M€ of investments for research on all sizes of living entities: from the molecular or gene scale to functional exploration in humans by way of major preclinical research techniques (cellular and molecular biology, surgery, behavior, microscopy, development of radiotracers, multimodal PET imagery, MRI, angiography, etc). Cyceron is steered by the UAR 3408/ US50 unit (Caen-Normandy University, CNRS, Inserm, CEA) and hosts the BB@C Institute, 6 research units with national accreditation, 2 IBiSA platforms and 3 companies including the 2021 Biotech i-Lab Grand Prize winner (Lys Therapeutics). More than 350 science researchers, teacher-researchers, hospital practitioners, engineers and technicians, entrepreneurs and students are linked with Cyceron, making this technological setting a meeting hotspot particularly favorable to high level scientific production. www.cyceron.fr

About Inserm Transfert

Inserm Transfert, a private subsidiary of Inserm, is responsible for the promotion of Inserm innovations in human health and facilitates long-term technology transfers according to international good practices. Founded in 2000, Inserm Transfert SA, under a public service delegation, manages all aspects of promotion and knowledge transfer from Inserm laboratories to the industrial world, from the declaration of invention to industrial partnerships and company formation.

Inserm Transfert also proposes services in structuring and managing national, European and international projects and accompanies the promotion of clinical research, of healthcare and cohort data/databases. Since 2009, Inserm Transfert and Inserm have the investment capacity to finance proof of concept. As early as 2005, a start-up fund was created dedicated to life sciences: Inserm Transfert Initiative. Since 2017, a pre-entrepreneurial roadmap guides scientists wishing to create their own company. www.inserm-transfert.fr

About Lys Therapeutics

Lys Therapeutics is a French biotech company developing innovative drugs to treat patients suffering from neurovascular or neurodegenerative disorders, including stroke and multiple sclerosis. Its main drug is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody with an exclusive and groundbreaking mechanism of action.

In the physiopathology of neurological diseases such as stroke or multiple sclerosis, one protease called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) triggers off-target toxicity via hyperactivation of both vascular and neuronal NMDA receptors (NMDAr), causing the disruption of the blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barriers, as well as strong neuronal excitotoxicity. By blocking the interaction between tPA and NMDAr, Lys Therapeutics drug-candidate counteracts this tPA-dependent strong toxicity, hence preventing the induced neurotoxicity, neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier issues, without perturbing physiological NMDAr functioning.

The clinical development of this biotherapy is of priority for Lys Therapeutics, as a game changer for patients suffering from neurological disorders with high unmet medical needs, for a potential major societal impact.

More information on lystherapeutics.com

Press contact :

Agence Acorelis – Gilles Petitot

+33 620 276 594 / +33 145 831 384 gilles.petitot@acorelis.com

Inserm Transfert – Ingrid Hargot

+33 1 55 03 01 44 communication@inserm-transfert.fr

Lys Therapeutics – Manuel Blanc
mblanc@lystherapeutics.com