NCL and IGIB Sign Licensing Agreement with Ahammune Biosciences for Vitiligo Drug Development

CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune and CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi together signed a Patent Licensing agreement with Ahammune Biosciences Pvt. Ltd., Pune for Vitiligo drug development on March 2, 2017. Ahammune is a resident incubatee company of Venture Center, NCL’s technology business incubator.

Ahammune Biosciences is an innovation-led drug discovery start-up company with the vision to find a new drug for the debilitating skin disorder, Vitiligo. It is the most common depigmenting disease with over 80 million people affected by it. In Vitiligo, color-producing cells are lost from areas of skin leaving behind white spots. The spread of depigmentation is unpredictable, ranging from days to years. Due to its effect on physical appearance, it is a cause of immense psychological torment, with patients feeling isolated and depressed. This disease is of major concern in India, where it is considered as a social stigma due to its confusion with leprosy. The current treatment strategies provide only temporary relief and are mostly ineffective. Ahammune is striving to fulfil this unmet medical need in the vitiligo therapeutic area.

Ahammune Biosciences would like to conduct further work towards potential vitiligo drug development through this Licensing agreement. CSIR labs will receive milestone payments based on the progress.

The patent was the outcome of the collaborative research work in chemistry and biology between these two labs. Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale (CSIR-IGIB, on deputation from NII) and T. N. Vivek (CSIR-IGIB) are the lead inventors of the patent.

Prof. Ashwini Kumar Nangia, Director, CSIR-NCL and Dr. (Miss.) Parul Ganju, Director, Ahammune Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. signed the agreement in presence of respective teams from both parties.