Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company and the Harvard Fibrosis Network of the Harvard
Stem Cell Institute today announce a research collaboration to
discover and develop potential new therapies for fibrotic diseases,
including fibrosis of the liver and heart. The Harvard Fibrosis Network
brings together researchers across the schools and affiliated hospitals
of Harvard University.
Fibrotic diseases impact many organs or tissues in the body, and are
characterized by injury and chronic inflammation that lead to excess
collagen deposition and scar formation in the affected organ or tissue.
The scarring response compromises function and ultimately leads to organ
failure. Treatments for fibrotic diseases are currently limited, and
there is a significant unmet need for new options.
“Bristol-Myers Squibb strives to discover and develop transformational
therapies that arrest or reverse the progression of fibrosis and restore
organ function,” said Carl Decicco, Ph.D., head of Discovery,
Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We are excited to work with the Harvard Fibrosis
Network, as we believe this collaboration will advance fibrosis research
with a goal of expediting the development of new therapies for patients
with these debilitating conditions.”
“The Harvard Fibrosis Network was founded on the principle that fibrotic
processes across different organs could share commonalities. To
accelerate our understanding in this area, we draw on a large
accomplished group of investigators at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute
who focus on many different organs and biological processes. Our
collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb will advance our efforts to
discover and develop fibrosis therapies, because it allows us to combine
the best of academic, clinical, and pharmaceutical research practice,”
said Joseph V. Bonventre, M.D., Ph.D. Bonventre is the lead researcher
of the Harvard Fibrosis Network, Executive Committee member of the
Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Samuel A. Levine Professor of Medicine at
Harvard Medical School, and Chief of the Divisions of Renal Medicine and
Engineering in Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Under the terms of the agreement, leading academic investigators of
hepatic and cardiac fibrosis from the Harvard Fibrosis Network will
collaborate closely with leading scientists from Bristol-Myers Squibb on
four projects over three years. Specific research projects will focus on
applied fibrosis biology, identification of noninvasive biomarkers, and
novel targets for potential anti-fibrotic therapies, in the areas of
hepatic and cardiac fibrosis.
About Harvard Stem Cell Institute
The Harvard
Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), formed in 2004, brings together more
than 1,000 scientists in the schools and affiliated hospitals of Harvard
University. Its mission is to advance the understanding of human
development and disease, support the discovery of stem cell-based
therapies and cures for diseases, and train the next generation of stem
cell scientists. The Harvard Fibrosis Network is a perfect example of
how HSCI stimulates collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and
institutional boundaries to accelerate discoveries that benefit
humankind.
About Fibrosis at Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is committed to the discovery and development of
medicines for the treatment of fibrosis, the buildup of scar tissue that
impacts organ function. We are advancing a robust pipeline of
investigational compounds to address areas of high unmet need in
fibrosis, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a condition
with no approved treatment options that may lead to liver fibrosis
and/or cirrhosis; and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive
lung disease with a high mortality rate. We are researching multiple
mechanisms and approaches to make the biggest impact on patients.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission
is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help
patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about
Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term
is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
regarding the research, development and commercialization of
pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on
current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties,
including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and
could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from
current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be
guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that any new
therapies will be successfully developed or approved for any of the
indications described in this release. Forward-looking statements in
this press release should be evaluated together with the many
uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly
those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers
Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017
in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form
8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update
any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Media: Lisa McCormick Lavery, 609-252-7602 lisa.mccormicklavery@bms.com orKen Dominski, 609-252-5251 ken.dominski@bms.com or Investors: Tim Power, 609-252-7509 timothy.power@bms.com orBill Szablewski, 609-252-5894 william.szablewski@bms.com or Harvard Stem Cell Institute Media inquiries: Jessica Lau jessica_lau@harvard.edu