News Opexa Therapeutics’ MS Therapy Selected as ‘Top Project to Watch’ Opexa Therapeutics’ MS Therapy Selected as ‘Top Project to Watch’ by Patricia Silva, PhD | November 25, 2015 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Opexa TherapeuticsĀ announced that it has been named one of theĀ āTop Projects to WatchāĀ for the third consecutive year. A panel of independent experts recognized the biopharmaceutical company for its work in the development of personalized immunotherapies for autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Opexa was among eight companies whose efforts in six therapeutic areas were selected as top projects, out of hundreds of compounds considered by the panel for their potential as products. The selection was announced at the recentĀ Therapeutic Area PartnershipsĀ meeting in Boston, whereĀ Opexaās President and CEO Neil K. Warma presented an overview of his company. āSelected companiesā¦ Ā represent what our committees consider among the most attractive opportunities the industry has to offer,āĀ Marc Wortman, Editorial Director at Therapeutic Area Partnerships, said in a press release. āWinners have met rigorous criteria, including: unmet medical need, market potential, diversity of indications, strong science, multi-level partnering opportunities (biotech and pharma), potential for new opportunities beyond initial indications and corporate stability. As the industry leader in strategic analysis and transaction tracking, our main goal is to give these companies exposure to potential investors, partners, and acquirers.ā Added Mr. Warma, āWe are pleased to be selected for the third year as one of the Top Projects to Watch. We believe this recognition speaks to the potential of our novel personalized T-cell immunotherapy platform to address autoimmune diseases with significant unmet medical needs.ā According toĀ Therapeutic Area Partnerships, many of the selected companiesĀ go on to form major partnerships to advance their work, such asĀ Trius, Optimer, QRxPharma, Pearl Therapeutics, Vectura, AVEO, Trophos, and BiParĀ “just to name a few.” Opexa Therapeutics’ leading candidate is TcelnaĀ®, a personalized T-cell immunotherapy for treating secondary progressive MS that isĀ now in Phase 2b clinical development (the Abili-T trial). Tcelna consists ofĀ myelin-reactive T-cells expanded ex vivo from a patient’s own peripheral blood and then re-introduced in a weakened form through subcutaneous injections. The process is thought to activate a strong immune response against specific subsets of autoreactive T-cells known to damage myelin in MS patients. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags Opexa Therapeutics, T cell
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