Under an agreement with the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. obtained an exclusive option to acquire intellectual property rights to “next-generation” offshoots of gentamicin. Gentamicin is part of a class of hospital-grade antibiotics known as aminoglycosides that are commonly used to treat staph, urinary tract, heart and pregnancy-related infections.
Despite its effectiveness, gentamicin can only be used for a limited time because prolonged exposure leads to kidney toxicity. However, research led by Dr. Bruce Molitoris of IU’s Department of Medicine identified purified components of gentamicin that potentially are less toxic.
Under another agreement with IURTC and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, La Jolla also obtained the option to apply gentamicin derivatives toward treatment of certain genetic diseases that include cystic fibrosis. These compounds also will be evaluated for the treatment of serious bacterial infections and possibly other disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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