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Scholar Rock Achieves First Milestone in Strategic Fibrosis Collaboration with Gilead Sciences
Successful demonstration of preclinical in vivo proof-of-concept studies advances collaboration to develop highly specific inhibitors of TGFβ activation for
About this update from Scholar Rock Holding Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Successful demonstration of preclinical in vivo proof-of-concept studies advances collaboration to develop highly specific inhibitors of TGFβ activation for the potential treatment of patients suffering from fibrotic diseasesDiscovery efforts have yielded potent and selective inhibitors of latent TGFβ activation for fibrosis indications \n Scholar Rock earns $25 million with achievement of initial milestone; eligible to receive up to an additional $1,425 million in potential payments from Gilead CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scholar Rock (NASDAQ: SRRK), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious diseases in which protein growth factors play a fundamental role, today announced that the Company has earned a $25 million milestone payment from Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) for the successful demonstration of efficacy in preclinical in vivo proof-of-concept studies. This is the most advanced program of the collaboration focused on the discovery and development of potent and selective inhibitors of latent transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) activation for the treatment of fibrotic diseases. “Achieving this important first milestone at the one year mark of the collaboration is indicative of the progress we are making together towards unlocking the potential of this novel approach to TGFβ inhibition in the treatment of patients suffering from fibrotic diseases,” said Nagesh Mahanthappa, Ph.D., President and CEO of Scholar Rock. “This accomplishment further validates the broad applicability of our platform by targeting the activation of latent growth factors to overcome historic challenges with selectivity and to discover and develop safe and effective therapeutics to address a wide range of serious diseases, including neuromuscular disorders, cancers, fibrosis, and anemia.” The collaboration between Gilead and Scholar Rock was established in December 2018 to discover and develop therapeutics that target TGFβ-driven signaling, a central regulator of fibrosis. Scholar Rock retains exclusive worldwide rights to discover, develop, and commercialize certain TGFβ inhibitors for oncology and cancer immunotherapy. Scholar Rock received $80 million in upfront payments in connection with the collaboration, comprised of $50 million cash and $30 million purchase of Scholar Rock Hol...