Apogenix, a biopharmaceutical company based in Heidelberg, Germany, received a $3 million BMBF grant (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) as partner of the Biotech Cluster Ryine-Neckar. The grant will be used to further advance the company’s lead substance APG101, a fully human protein that aids in treating solid tumors, such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

APG101 is the most advanced inhibitor of the CD95 ligand (CD95L) in clinical development. In September 2011, Apogenix announced the completion of patient recruitment of its phase II clinical trial in GBM, which is now planned for 2013.

"This grant plays a substantial role in the development of our lead substance APG101 for the treatment of life-threatening diseases with a high unmet medical need,” said Dr. Thomas Hoger, CEO/CFO of Apogenix. “This allows us to develop APG101 for MDS. We firmly believe that the therapeutic potential of APG101 goes far beyond the treatment of GBM and that we have a realistic chance to show proof-of-concept in a phase II trial planned for 2013."