BridgeBio to Collaborate with Columbia University and Mount Sinai to Develop Therapies for Genetic Diseases and Cancers

BridgeBio Pharma said it has entered two new academic collaborations with Columbia University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to translate cutting-edge research discoveries into potential therapies for patients with genetic diseases and genetically driven cancers.

Photo: Neil Kumar, CEO and founder of BridgeBio

Columbia University has built a research team of translational-focused investigators working on genetic diseases. It also has a technology transfer office that provides mentorship for researchers and funds the early stages of their translational work. BridgeBio intends to collaborate with Columbia University to identify and potentially develop promising therapies for patients with genetic diseases.

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical and graduate school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. The partnership between BridgeBio and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will focus specifically on genetic disease and precision oncology to determine new potential therapies that may be meaningful options for patients in need.

“Columbia University and Mount Sinai are known for bringing together some of the most talented scientists to develop breakthroughs for patients,” said BridgeBio founder and CEO Neil Kumar. “By partnering with these world-class research institutions, we are hopeful that together we will be able to help patients in need.”

The new agreements bring BridgeBio’s collaborations with academic institutions that are focused on genetic disease and precision oncology to 25. Collaborating with academic institutions to identify early discoveries is at the core of BridgeBio’s efforts to reach patients more quickly. The goal of these collaborations is to transform the relationships between drug development companies and biomedical research institutions by moving away from one-off interactions in favor of engaging and creative partnerships.

More than two-thirds of BridgeBio’s 30+ pipeline programs have come from partnerships with academic institutions and research centers. For example, BridgeBio’s clinical trial of encaleret, which is being investigated for the treatment of autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), has been enabled by a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health. BridgeBio’s investigational medicine acoramidis, which is being developed for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR), originated in a lab at Stanford University. BridgeBio partnered with the Stanford researchers and advanced acoramidis from the lab to phase 3 clinical development in less than three years.

With a diverse pipeline encompassing investigational therapies in Mendelian diseases, precision cardiorenal, precision oncology, and gene therapy, BridgeBio aims to provide the insights and support needed to rapidly progress therapeutic research from labs to clinical development.

Author: Rare Daily Staff