Early Development Program

BioLineRx's Early Development Program (EDP) provides funding for early stage research and development of innovative therapeutics. The EDP is funded by a $6 million grant from the Pan Atlantic Group (Albert Friedberg Family) and BioLineRx.

BioLineRx's Early Development Program (EDP) is a first of its kind program initiated to identify and advance early stage innovative therapeutic projects. Promising projects are selected and benefit from funding, guidance and experimentation led by BioLineRx's professional drug development team. EDP projects receive 1-2 years of significant funding for research and development to be performed in the inventing scientists' laboratory in collaboration with BioLineRx’s drug development expert laboratory staff, as well as our global network of Contract Research Organizations (CROs).

The goal of an EDP project is to accumulate sufficient in vivo data to facilitate entry into BioLineRx’s pipeline. Projects that enter BioLineRx's pipeline receive full funding and accelerated preclinical and clinical development.

EDP candidates must be patentable, novel therapeutics, addressing a large unmet medical need. The therapeutic should have a well thought-out mechanism of action, backed by high quality research and scientific rigor.

For more information: EDP@BioLineRx.com

Current EDP Pipeline

EDP 10 represents a family of molecules that inhibit the Natural Killer (NK) receptor NKp46. NKp46 has been linked to type I diabetes and inhibition of this receptor was shown to prevent the development of type I diabetes in animal models. The goal of this project is to identify a specific NKp46 inhibitor and to assess its activity in animal models of type I diabetes.
Inventors: Prof. Ofer Mandelboim ( Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Prof. Angel Porgador (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)

EDP 21 is a novel, recombinant mutant of the human Leptin hormone which acts as a leptin agonist. EDP 21 is intended to assist in weight loss diabetes.

Inventors: Prof. Arieh Gertler and Dr. Eran Elinav

EDP 25 is a project for developing inhibitors of the Rel proteins which enable bacteria to adapt to environmental changes. These Rel inhibitors have potential as novel antibacterial agents that would disrupt the survival mechanisms in bacteria.
Inventor: Prof. Gad Glazer (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

EDP 26 is a project for developing molecules targeting the voltage sensor of Kv7.4, Kv7.5 and TRPV1 channels for the treatment of human asthma.
Inventor: Prof. Bernard Attali (Tel Aviv University)

EDP 27 is a biodegradable mesh made from albumin fibers designed to be used as a haemostatic agent in the liver and spleen following surgery or trauma.

Inventor: Prof. Eyal Zussman (Technion- Israel Institute of Technology)

EDP 31 is a selective inhibitor of PACE-4, a proteolytic enzyme involved in the processes of tumor progression and invasion. Through careful molecular design and pharmacological optimization, this new compound was shown to have significant growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells lines and in mouse models. It is being developed to treat various cancers that are dependent on the activity of PACE-4. Inventor: Prof. Robert Day, Insitut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

EDP 32 is an alpha-synuclein derived peptide, which inhibits alpha-synuclein aggregation for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Inventors: Prof. Ehud Gazit and Dr. Ronit Shaltiel-Karyo (Tel Aviv University)

EDP 34 is a small molecule which regulates the opioid-induced glial activation by targeting the critical TLR4/MD-2 complex formation, thus preventing morphine binding to TLR4 receptor in glia, resulting in enhanced analgesic effect. EDP 34 is being developed for the treatment of neuropathic pain and scleroderma. Inventors: Prof. Linda R. Watkins and Prof. Hang Hubert Yin (University of Colorado at Boulder)