TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A southern Taiwan-based National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team led by Ming-Shi Chang, NCKU professor of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has discovered an anti-interleukin-20 (anti-IL-20) antibody, a potential new anti-osteoporosis and anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug, and agrees to license selected intellectual property and transfer certain technology to Novo Nordisk A/S, a Danish-based pharmaceutical company for a total payment of US$ 13.3 million in case of a successful completion of the project.

In addition, Professor Ming-Shi Chang and Novo Nordisk A/S have established a 2-year research collaboration to further strengthen and possible expand the usages of an IL-20 antibody.

NCKU President Hwung-Hweng Hwung hailed the groundbreaking discovery of anti-interleukin-20 antibody: The findings not only mark a milestone in global healthcare, but also raise the visibility of Taiwans academic research.

This medical discovery was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) and has drawn huge attention in the academic world and the biotechnology industry as well.

IL-20 has a key role in osteoclast differentiation, and blockading this cytokine could represent a novel therapeutic approach for osteoporosis, according to data from the NCKU medical team.

The chief editor of Nature Reviews wrote a research highlight in the September issue of Nature Reviews Rheumatology commenting on this finding, while Science-Business eXchange (SciBX) published a cover story reporting on the discovery in the same month.

The study not only signifies groundbreaking findings in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, but could lead to the innovation of new drugs to treat osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Chang pointed out that the medical expense of anti-osteoporosis drugs for patients around the world is estimated to be as much as US$8 billion per year, and that the amount spent on them by 2015 will be about US$8.8 billion.

Changs team has discovered that IL-20 is an important factor in bone cell differentiation and that high serum IL-20 levels in osteoporosis patients cause bone destruction.

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Research and License Agreements between National Cheng Kung University and Novo Nordisk A/S