Blackfynn Builds Therapeutic Pipeline with Option to a Phase 3-Ready Drug for Parkinson's

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackfynn, a company using a systematic approach that combines data, technology and disease-specific clinical expertise to develop a growing pipeline of targeted, clinical-stage therapeutics for Parkinson's and neurodegeneration, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with an undisclosed partner to acquire rights to a Phase 3-ready drug to treat Parkinson's.

Blackfynn's novel approach to drug development is grounded in its roots as a technology and data analysis company focused on neurodegenerative diseases. Blackfynn's business model is to acquire and complete development of clinical-stage drugs with the potential for significant, near-term impact for patients.

Blackfynn sees substantial opportunity to successfully develop promising drug candidates to treat neurodegenerative diseases that have been deprioritized or have failed due to certain key limitations in trial design and execution. Blackfynn is applying a targeted development strategy that overcomes these limitations by minimizing patient heterogeneity and optimizing trial design using existing clinical data. The fundamental basis of Blackfynn's differentiated methodology is grounded in deriving insights from trials testing drugs with known biology where sufficient clinical data exists, rather than focusing on early-stage candidates with more speculative biology. 

"We are excited to apply Blackfynn's approach, first to the development of this promising lead candidate for Parkinson's, and then systematically to a diversified pipeline of treatments for Parkinson's and a range of neurodegenerative diseases," said Amanda Banks, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Blackfynn. "Blackfynn's data platform will enable our expert team to identify the most responsive patient populations and appropriate clinical endpoints, optimally design studies that have a higher chance of success and enable data-responsive execution. Our sole focus is on bringing effective treatments to patients in the near-term."

In connection with its extension into therapeutics, Blackfynn has expanded its strategic partnership with Clintrex Research Corporation, a leader in clinical development and regulatory science, with deep expertise and experience in the development of therapeutics for Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Under the agreement, Karl Kieburtz, M.D., M.P.H., a leading expert and clinical trialist in neurodegenerative diseases, will serve as Chief Medical Officer of Blackfynn. The Clintrex team, which has deep regulatory, trial operations and domain expertise in CNS more broadly, will be Blackfynn's partner to operationalize its clinical development strategy.

"Blackfynn's approach to drug development is clearly differentiated from what is done in the industry today, and one that we believe we can apply repeatedly to deliver multiple promising medicines in areas with high unmet need." said Dr. Kieburtz. "We aim to complete the registration study for our lead program in a targeted sub-population of patients that we identify as most likely to benefit, using a data-driven design and execution strategy that will increase our chances of bringing a more effective therapeutic option to patients. This treatment paradigm has the potential to fundamentally alter how we approach Parkinson's therapy."

"We are delighted to join forces with Clintrex and have Karl as a key member of Blackfynn's leadership team. We are confident that our clinical data analytics platform, along with the deep regulatory and trial expertise of Karl and Clintrex will drive the development of effective new treatments for patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases," added Dr. Banks. 

About Blackfynn

Blackfynn is a new kind of therapeutics company: one using high-quality clinical data, data modeling and analytics – first and always – to drive every aspect of drug development. We focus on optimizing clinical-stage assets for the near-term benefit of patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Blackfynn is growing a substantial data and expert ecosystem, having established key strategic collaborations with The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to support the data acquisition and analysis needs of its landmark Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study, the University of Rochester focused on using our software tools to understand Parkinson's progression, and the University of Pennsylvania to predict which PD patients are at risk for common and dangerous side effects of PD drugs. It is our mission to improve the lives of everyone living with Parkinson's across the globe, and to use our technology to democratize access to studies and medicines regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or geography.

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