Bridge Biotherapeutics, a South Korean clinical-stage biotech company developing novel drugs for fibrosis, cancer and inflammation, announced that it has joined PROLIFIC, the Prognostic Lung Fibrosis Consortium, an organization devoted to boosting scientific exploration and drug development in pulmonary fibrosis.

PROLIFIC is a non-profit consortium of top-tier research institutions, academic medical centers, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies that are committed to developing treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. Members of PROLIFIC collaborate with each other to share expertise, technology, and data to develop precise and personalized treatments for patients with the fatal and progressive lung diseases. The near-term goal of PROLIFIC is to develop and validate tests for biomarkers indicative of pulmonary fibrosis in patients and to assess the biomarkers in predicting disease worsening or as suitable endpoints for clinical trials.

"We are excited to join PROLIFIC and collaborate with other leaders in precision medicine to advance the understanding of pulmonary fibrosis and advance the science of biomarkers to detect this devastating disease," said Sujin Jung, Vice President of Clinical Development and Operations of Bridge Biotherapeutics. "As a member of PROLIFIC, we will be able to tap into a diverse range of expertise, technology, and data that will enable us to accelerate detection of pulmonary fibrosis, and speed the entire industry's development of new treatments."

The group of industry members at PROLIFIC has selected 12 biomarkers based on peer-reviewed scientific reports showing their ability to predict the presence of the disease itself, and their potential ability to predict how well a drug candidate may work. The 12 biomarkers being studied include indicators of epithelial damage (CYFRA 21-1, SP-D, CA-19-9, KL-6), fibrosis (MMP-7, Tenascin C, periostin), inflammation (CCL18, CXCL13, slCAM1), and thrombosis (PAI-1). Having a validated panel of biomarkers could enable early detection of treatment response and comparison of drugs across clinical trials, which could speed regulatory approval.

PROLIFIC also intends to partner with public health authorities worldwide to achieve the long-term goal of finding biomarkers that can predict which patients would benefit most from a particular treatment, bringing a precision medicine approach to the treatment of this chronic, often fatal condition. The consortium hopes to enable physicians to better tailor therapeutic treatments for patients.

By joining PROLIFIC, Bridge Biotherapeutics will be able to collaborate with other pioneering companies in the area of pulmonary fibrosis. In addition to industry-wide advances, Bridge Biotherapeutics hopes to speed development of proprietary idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pipeline and accelerate development of novel treatments for patients.

Bridge Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapeutics for areas of high unmet medical needs. The company has three drugs in clinical trials for the treatment of fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, as well as inflammatory diseases and cancers, and a robust pipeline of drug candidates in preclinical development.

 

Source: prnewswire.com

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