Ipsen and the CNRS create the joint research and innovation laboratory "Archi-Pex", in association with the University of Rennes 1 and the CEA. The objective is to accelerate the development of new drug formulations based on self-assembling peptides.
A public-private research partnership for 5 years, the fruit of a 15-year collaboration
IPSEN and CNRS announced the creation of the joint laboratory Archi-Pex (Peptide Architectures and Formulations) in association with CEA and the University of Rennes 1, the result of a public / private partnership established in 1999. The creation of the Archi-Pex joint laboratory, supported by the French National Research Agency, aims to offer a multidisciplinary approach bringing together academic research teams in physics and biology and Ipsen's pharmaceutical development centre in Dreux. The objective is to innovate in the field of hormone peptide formulation and to reduce development time. Understanding pharmaceutical efficacy based on fundamental knowledge is the key to the Archi-Pex project.
Giancarlo Faini, Deputy Scientific Director of the CNRS Institute of Physics explains : "Archi-Pex is a very good example of the approaches put in place by the CNRS in terms of innovation development. It will facilitate the transfer of high-level scientific knowledge to the socio-economic world."
Jean-Claude Michalski, Deputy Scientific Director of the Institute of Biological Sciences of the CNRS says : "This joint laboratory once again demonstrates the strength of interdisciplinarity; these new concepts, new methodologies and innovative solutions have been achieved thanks to the cooperation between the different disciplines of the CNRS, particularly biology and physics, in close collaboration with Ipsen. »
Jonathan Barnsley Executive Vice-President, Technical Operations of Ipsen said : "The creation of Archi-Pex crowns the success of the public-private research partnership between Ipsen, CNRS, CEA and the University of Rennes 1, and demonstrates the quality of the research projects conducted by Ipsen. This close collaboration aims to support the innovation effort for patients suffering from disabling pathologies. »
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Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice-President, R&D, Chief Scientific Officer of Ipsen added : "This partnership fits perfectly with the strategy of focusing on peptides and open innovation that we are implementing in research and development. The objectives of this project are to increase the release period of the active ingredient in order to further reduce the frequency of drug intake, and to study the possibility of new delivery routes for Ipsen's flagship molecules. It is also a question of optimising the time between research, innovation and development".
Archi-Pex will enable the development of new sustained-release formulations based on self-assembling peptides and accelerate the development of alternative routes of administration (e.g. oral or transdermal), particularly in the field of endocrinology.
Over the past fifteen years, this public/private collaboration has already led to major scientific and medical advances in the field of pharmaceutical peptides. For example, the sustained-release formulation of lanreotide, consisting simply of water and the active ingredient, offers an exceptional release period of 28 days. The understanding of the fundamental mechanisms behind these remarkable properties, which is the result of a collaboration between Ipsen and the CNRS, has made it possible to consolidate the registration file for certain Ipsen products. (Source: CNRS- 20 Nov 2014)
