ASCENTIA WILL DEVELOP CANCER COMPOUND

Ascentia Biomedical has reached an option agreement with the University of Washington (UW) to develop treatments for a number of diseases using a family of compounds developed by the UW's medical school.

One of the compounds has already shown the ability to block tumors in a preclinical model of breast cancer, and the Bellevue-based company said it will begin further testing with an eye toward clinical development. Other compounds could be developed into treatments for sepsis, arthritis and other autoimmune disorders and to increase the effectiveness of certain vaccines.