BioCentury
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Roche, Versant, Inception launch remyelination newco

June 24, 2014 1:02 AM UTC

Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) partnered with Versant Ventures and drug discovery company Inception Sciences Inc. (San Diego, Calif.) to launch newco Inception 5 to screen and develop small molecules for myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS). Inception 5 has rights to a remyelination screening technology from the University of California, San Francisco. Versant will provide equity financing, and Roche will provide milestone-based research funding. Roche has an exclusive option to acquire Inception 5 upon filing of its first IND.

Versant launched Inception Sciences in 2011 to discover, incubate and spin off assets into separate entities. Inception Sciences CEO and CSO Peppi Prasit is president and CEO of Inception 5 (see BioCentury, Feb. 13, 2012). ...