Xanthus buys patent from Johns Hopkins

Xanthus Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today it has acquired from Johns Hopkins University an exclusive license to a patent estate that could be used to treat autoimmune diseases.

Xanthus is a Cambridge company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders.

The Johns Hopkins patent license cover FLT3 pathways; in preclinical trials conducted by the university researchers, research indicated that inhibition of the FLT3 pathway may reverse the course and severity of autoimmune disease, Xanthus said.

Xanthus added that the company and John Hopkins have also initiated a research project to assess novel compounds that would inhibit FLT3 activity and the downstream pathways relevant to a range of autoimmune diseases.

Xanthus did not disclose the financial terms of its license acquisition from Johns Hopkins.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)