Japan's RegImmune has joined with Pfizer ($PFE) and the former Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in a partnership to collaborate on research for an antigen-specific preventative for Type 1 diabetes. Financial arrangements were not disclosed, but Pfizer is to provide finances and expertise.
The research by the three partners is to develop a liposome that can withstand the body's immune system and prevent or at least delay the disease. The biotech's role is to supply its aGalCer/liposome platform and conduct research on an immunotherapy.
The group is working on a theory that certain regulatory T-cells in the immune system enter the pancreas and destroy insulin-producing cells. The investigative work is to find a targeted antigen to restore the immune system's balance.
The JDRF, which dropped "juvenile" from its name to reflect its widened interest, sponsors global research for preventing Type 1 diabetes of all ages.
- here's the RegImmune release