MCR Therapeutics will develop peptides to stimulate the production of melanin, a pigment which shields humans against ultraviolet rays and skin cancer.
University of Arizona has granted two licences for therapeutic peptides for skin cancer to US-based MCR Therapeutics, which has raised an undisclosed sum from Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the university’s tech transfer arm.
TLA provided the funding through its Asset Development Program, which finances feasibility and proof-of-concept studies for early-stage projects. MCR has also received a grant of undisclosed size from government-owned research agency National Science Foundation’s NSF Innovation Corps program.
MCR is developing peptides that are expected to aid with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. They work by targeting specific melanocortin receptors responsible for stimulating skin cells that yield melanin, a pigment which shields humans against ultraviolet rays.
MCR’s therapeutic focus will initially centre on the skin, however its peptides could eventually find uses in other indications. Melanocortin receptors have also been linked to physiological factors including obesity, stress, cognition and mood.
The licences commercialise research led by Minying Cai, a professor at Arizona’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Victor Hruby, a retired professor emeritus affiliated with the same department.
Rakhi Gibbons, director of licensing at TLA, said: “We have worked with Drs Cai and Hruby on a number of technologies and startups.
“It is great to work with a team so dedicated to thinking beyond the lab and ensuring that the products of their research are moving out into the world to create impact.”
