CalciMedica acquires TorreyPines CNS IP

La Jolla, California-based CalciMedica, a company focused on the area of calcium release-activated calcium channels, will exercise its exclusive option to acquire intellectual property pertaining to fellow US firm TorreyPines Therapeutics' STIM1, a key target in the Icrac immune system pathway, and CRAC channel inhibitors for use in the field of central nervous system disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement, TorreyPines will get an upfront payment and is eligible to receive milestones and royalties for future products. The companies agreed, in April 2007, to the transfer of the technology and CRAC channel inhibitors from TorreyPines to CalciMedica for use in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with an option for CalciMedica to acquire the CNS rights.

"Acquiring additional rights to STIM1 technology and CRAC channel inhibitors completes our ownership of fields of use covering all therapeutic areas, now including the development of novel immunomodulators to treat important CNS diseases such as multiple sclerosis," said Gonul Velicelebi, chief executive of CalciMedica. "Over the last year, CalciMedica has made significant progress in integrating this technology into its proprietary drug discovery platform and generating a pipeline of novel,small-molecule immunomodulators that have potential utility in a broad range of diseases," he added.