Licensing Agreement to Promote Telomerase Research

A transatlantic licensing agreement is designed to advance the study of the role of telomerase in aging and in cancer development.

Telomere terminal transferase, or telomerase, is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that uses its internal RNA component (complementary to the telomeric single stranded overhang) as a template in order to synthesize telomeric DNA (TTAGGG)n directly onto the ends of chromosomes. Telomerase is present in most fetal tissues, normal adult male germ cells, inflammatory cells, proliferative cells of renewal tissues, and most tumor cells.

Geron Corporation (Menlo Park, CA, USA;) has granted a nonexclusive license for its human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) technology to the British research company Xcellsyz Ltd. (Newcastle, UK). Xcellsyz will use hTERT to create immortalized cell lines for in vitro use in drug discovery and screening.

"This agreement reflects the unique value of telomerase in biopharmaceutical research,” said Dr. Calvin B. Harley, Geron's chief scientific officer. "The hTERT-immortalized cell lines should proliferate indefinitely while maintaining normal physical and biological characteristics.”

Brad Hoy, CEO of Xcellsyz, said, "Access to Geron's hTERT technology for combination with our proprietary technology will greatly improve the quality and value of the human cell lines we are developing. This is critical for both our in-house drug discovery programs and our pharmaceutical customers.”




Related Links:
Geron Corporation
Xcellsyz Ltd.