BioLineRx, a Jerusalem, Israel company that develops drugs and medical compounds, just completed a licensing deal for its liquid BL-1040 material, 
a resorbable calcium alginate-based polymer thought to help the heart recover when injected following an acute myocardial infarction. Already in Phase I/II of clinical trials, the $282 million offered by Ikaria out of Clinton, New Jersey is a strong sign of the potential benefits of the BL-1040.
BL-1040, currently in a phase I/II clinical trial, is administered via the coronary artery during standard catheterization and flows into the damaged heart muscle, where it forms a protective “scaffold” that enhances the mechanical strength of the heart muscle during recovery and repair. BL-1040 is the first program to graduate from the BIJ (BioLine Innovations Jerusalem) incubator subsidized by the Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist.
BL-1040 was invented by Professor Smadar Cohen from Ben-Gurion University and Professor Jonathan Leor from Tel-Aviv University. BioLineRx in-licensed the technology in 2005 from Ben-Gurion University through B.G. Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd. BL-1040 is currently in a Phase I/II pilot study in Germany and Belgium to determine the safety and feasibility of BL-1040 to treat AMI. Final results are anticipated in Q4 2009.
To learn more about this technology, check out Injectable Biomaterials to Repair the Infarcted Heart presentation by Dr. Jonathan Leor, MD, FACC from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Aviv University:
Press release: Ikaria® to In-License BioLineRx’s BL-1040…
BioLineRx’s White Paper: BL-1040: First-In-Class Injectable Liquid Polymer for the Direct Treatment of Cardiac Tissue Post Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)…
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