A consortium of five companies and private investors have launched KPI Therapeutics, Inc. as a development and funding consortium focused on on advancing translational-stage drug programs. The founding companies are MPI Research, Chimera Biotec, Life Chemicals Inc., Medical Marketing Economics Inc., and Kineta Inc. KPI has also attracted private equity investors whose funds are being used to start the KPI development model

KPI is focused on advancing translational-stage drug programs to develop new drugs. KPI's partners and investors will supply funding and expertise in a collaboration focused on making the early clinical drug validation process more efficient and successful. KPI's business model is designed not only to speed drug development but also to improve investor outcomes over traditional industry models. In the first stage of the business plan, KPI will focus on the most advanced projects within Kineta Inc.'s current drug pipeline. In the future, KPI intends to identify and advance novel programs from other industry sources

Kineta, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held biotechnology company specializing in clinical advancement of novel drug candidates, and is one of the five company partners in KPI. The others include Chimera Biotec GmbH, a Dortmund, Germany-based technology provider and specialty contract research organization (CRO offering ligand-binding assay development and sample analysis for the detection of proteins, antibodies, autoantibodiesand biomarkers. Life Chemicals Inc., based in Ontario. is a CRO offering early-stage small-molecule drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and computational chemistry services. MPI Research, headquartered in Mattawan, Michigan, provides efficacy and safety evaluation, bioanalytical and analytical testing, and early clinical services. Medical Marketing Economics provides value-driven pricing, reimbursement and market-access strategies for biopharmaceutical clients. It was established in 2001 and has over 35 professionals located in Oxford, Mississippi, Montclair, New Jersey, and Milan.

The lead drug in KPI's investment portfolio, ShK-186, is an immune-sparing therapeutic, which recently completed a Phase IB trial. Additional proof of concept trials in psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis are planned in 2014. ShK-186 has shown preclinical activity in other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and asthma. KPI's current investment portfolio also includes novel compounds for antiviral and non-narcotic pain therapies.

 Source: KPI Therapeutics