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UVA Health System And HemoShear Therapeutics To Collaborate On Advanced Cancer Tumor Models

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 20, 2016 – To better understand cancerous tumors and help develop breakthrough treatments, University of Virginia Health System and HemoShear Therapeutics, LLC, will collaborate on developing and validating advanced cancer tumor models.   

Under the agreement, HemoShear will transfer technology to UVA to continue validation of HemoShear’s existing tumor models and develop new tumor models. HemoShear will also have options to license new discoveries by UVA researchers. 

HemoShear’s core technology was originally developed by two UVA researchers to create more accurate models of human disease for deeper understanding of how diseases develop and to discover safer and more effective drug therapies.

“We are thrilled that UVA will build upon our transformational tumor work, while allowing HemoShear to focus our internal resources on drug discovery for liver diseases,” said Dr. Brian Wamhoff, head of innovation at HemoShear.

HemoShear has developed human tumor models for non-small cell lung carcinoma and pancreatic cancer under the leadership of Dr. Dan Gioeli, associate professor of research, microbiology, immunology and cancer biology at UVA and former senior scientific director at HemoShear. This work was funded in part by grants from the National Cancer Institute and Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corp. Validation of HemoShear’s existing tumor models and development of new models will be overseen by Dr. Gioeli in his UVA research laboratory.

“I am very excited to continue my work with the HemoShear platform to better understand complex cancer biology. Our goal is to one day use these models to develop optimal treatments for specific individuals’ tumors,” said Gioeli.

“This partnership signals UVA’s commitment to collaborate with UVA spin-outs,” said Dr. Richard P. Shannon, UVA’s executive vice president for health affairs. “This is also a great opportunity to establish UVA as a leader in cutting-edge tumor modeling and research. Our long-term goal is to accelerate discovery and development of safer and more effective cancer treatments."

 


About HemoShear Therapeutics

HemoShear Therapeutics discovers novel biological targets and advances drug programs to treat metabolic disorders with significant unmet patient need.  Our proprietary drug discovery platform, REVEAL-TX™, enables us to create best-in-class, biological human disease models to uncover and explain the underlying mechanisms of disease, translate those discoveries into drug candidates, and predict which drug candidates will treat patients successfully. 

Our current drug discovery programs are focused on organic acidemias, a group of rare genetic metabolic disorders, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a chronic and rapidly growing global disease.  HemoShear's collaborators include major pharma companies and leading medical centers.  

About UVA Health System

UVA Health System is an academic health system that includes a 612-bed hospital, the UVA School of Medicine, a level I trauma center, nationally recognized cancer and heart centers and primary and specialty clinics throughout Central Virginia. UVA is recognized for excellence by U.S. News & World Report, Best Doctors in America and America's Top Doctors.

Media Contact:
Lynn Blenkhorn
Feinstein Kean Healthcare
M 508 851 0930
Lynn.blenkhorn@fkhealth.com

Contact

info@hemoshear.com

HemoShear Therapeutics, Inc.
501 Locust Avenue
Suite 301
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902