Year: 2011-12

Company: City of Hope

Liaison(s): James Figarola, Matthew Grunseth, Samuel Rahbar

The City of Hope is an independent research and biomedical institution dedicated to the treatment and prevention of cancer and life-threatening diseases. With the support of humanitarian philanthropies and collaborations worldwide, the City of Hope researches innovative drugs and technologies to treat diseases such as cancer and diabetes. In support of these efforts, the City of Hope has become a recognized pioneer in bone marrow transplantation. As a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the City of Hope has stayed true to their mission of healing the whole person, nurturing the spiritual and social, as well as physical well-being of those under its care. Dr. Samuel Rahbar and colleagues at the City of Hope have developed a novel small molecular compound designated LR-90, which has been shown to inhibit the formation of Advanced Glycation End (AGE) products. AGE products are caused by high blood sugar levels found in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and are considered to be one of the primary causes of the chronic diabetic complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, and atherosclerosis. Based on preclinical studies performed at the City of Hope, LR-90 has demonstrated promise in mitigating these debilitating and deadly complications. In support of a commercialization strategy for LR-90, the City of Hope TMP team was tasked with drafting a detailed plan for the development of LR-90. To fulfill this objective, the City of Hope team performed a two-phase analysis to characterize the commercial opportunities for LR-90. The first phase involved conducting a thorough examination of the U.S. diabetes market, as well as analyzing the competitive landscape for AGE inhibitors. This assessment yielded key lessons that have been used to formulate strategic options for the second part of this project. Subsequently, the City of Hope TMP team evaluated the LR-90 development timeline, development costs and strategic partnership opportunities to produce a detailed trade-off analysis. The City of Hope will consider this information as it develops a more complete commercialization plan for the LR-90 program.