Karo Bio enters research collaboration on fibrotic diseases with 4D Science

Regulatory News:

Karo Bio AB and 4D Science GmbH have entered into a research collaboration to develop novel treatments for fibrotic diseases, based on a recent discoveries made by Dr. Jörg Distler.

Dr. Jörg Distler’s research group has recently discovered that a specific nuclear receptor plays a key role in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases. The findings may be of therapeutic benefit to patients suffering from such diseases. There are currently no effective treatments of fibrosis available.

"We look forward to collaborating with Jörg Distler and his team on this novel approach to fibrosis. This is an area with very large unmet medical needs and where new ideas up until now have been scarce. Together, we will be able to speed up the development of the project significantly,” says Karo Bio’s CEO Per Bengtsson.

4D Science GmbH is a biotechnology company founded by Dr. Jörg Distler at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Dr. Jörg Distler, University Hospital of Erlangen-Nuremberg and CEO of 4D Science GmbH, is an internationally recognized authority in translational fibrotic disease research. 4D Science has a broad range of fibrotic disease models that are widely used by the pharmaceutical industry to evaluate drug candidates.

The collaboration will initially focus on generating additional data further validating the nuclear receptor as a target in fibrosis and demonstrating its druggability. Karo Bio will carry out the collaboration work within the scope of its current operations. The two parties will share costs and rewards for the collaboration program.

Fibrosis is the accumulation of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue. Cardiac, renal, and pulmonary fibrosis together with hepatic cirrhosis contribute to approximately 40 per cent of deaths in the industrial world. A common mechanism for fibrotic diseases regardless of which organs are involved, is excessive accumulation of collagen-rich scar tissue. In severe forms of fibrosis, uncontrolled deposition of scar tissue leads to organ failure and death. Despite the enormous economic and societal impact of fibrotic diseases, safe and effective treatments are currently lacking.

About Karo Bio

Karo Bio is a pharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of innovative drugs for large medical needs. The world-leading knowledge of nuclear receptors as target proteins for the development of pharmaceuticals and the related mechanisms of action, are utilized as a foundation for developing novel, more effective and safer pharmaceuticals. The company runs drug development projects mainly within the therapeutic areas neuropsychiatry, inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer. The company has a number of strategic agreements and collaborations with international pharmaceutical companies. Karo Bio is based in Huddinge, Sweden, has 42 employees and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm.

Karo Bio publishes this information in accordance with the Swedish Securities Markets Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was published on 23 September, 2013, at 10:30 am CET.

This press release is also available online at www.karobio.com and www.newsroom.cision.com

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