CalciMedica To Buy Intellectual Property From TorreyPines Therapeutics

Oct 13, 2008 (financialwire.net via COMTEX) -- TPTX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- October 13, 2008 (FinancialWire) -- TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPTX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) (Current Market Cap: US$4.57 Mil.) said that CalciMedica, Inc. will exercise an option to acquire intellectual property from TorreyPines for an upfront payment plus eligibility receive milestone and royalty payments for future products based on the licensed technology.

The technologies covered in the deal pertain to STIM1, a target in the Icrac immune system pathway, and CRAC channel inhibitors for use in the field of central nervous system disorders.

In April of 2007, the companies agreed to the transfer of STIM1 technology and CRAC channel inhibitors from TorreyPines to CalciMedica for use in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with an option for CalciMedica to acquire the CNS rights.

CalciMedica's technology platform is based on exploiting the immunomodulatory potential of intervening in the Icrac cell signaling immune response pathway by targeting Orai1 and STIM1, the principal components of the CRAC channel complex.

La Jolla, California-based CalciMedica is engaged in the area of calcium release-activated calcium channels, a component of the Icrac pathway in immune cells. The Icrac calcium entry pathway is essential for the adaptive immune response, and has been validated as an important drug target in humans.

La Jolla, California-based TorreyPines Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of small molecule compounds. The company is currently developing two ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists and one muscarinic receptor agonist.

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