UCSF and BridgeBio Pharma Collaborate to Accelerate the Development of Therapies for Genetic Diseases

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UC San Francisco (UCSF) and BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: BBIO) today announced a partnership to drive the advancement of academic innovations in genetically driven diseases into potential therapeutics for patients.

“The BridgeBio team is developing close relationships with our investigators at UCSF with the mission of bringing potential therapies into the clinic quickly, where they have the opportunity to help patients in need,” said Barry Selick, Ph.D., UCSF vice chancellor for business development, innovation and partnerships and director of the Office of Innovation Ventures. “We are excited about this partnership and the opportunities it may create for the development of new medicines.”

“UCSF is a global leader in scientific innovation and genetic disease research, and we are proud to establish a formal, long-term relationship with the university as we work to help patients as quickly and safely as possible,” said BridgeBio CEO and founder Neil Kumar, Ph.D.

Following a six-month pilot collaboration, the new agreement establishes a three-year alliance with BridgeBio with the goal of identifying early translational research to accelerate into clinical development and potential commercialization. The partnership is designed to foster close collaboration between the two entities that build on their respective strengths, and it will initially be structured to enable Sponsored Research Agreements for certain labs working between UCSF Innovation Ventures and BridgeBio. These collaborations may lead to the creation of BridgeBio affiliate companies to support clinical development.

“Collaborative relationships between academia–which has a wealth of scientific knowledge in a range of overlooked diseases–and industry, with its robust development infrastructure, are truly valuable and can help leapfrog traditional R&D timelines,” said Frank McCormick, Ph.D., F.R.S., a professor in the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCSF and co-founder and chairman of oncology at BridgeBio. “I hope this partnership will allow people living with genetically driven disorders to access therapeutic options much more quickly and effectively.”

About UCSF: 

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals, as well as affiliations throughout the Bay Area. Learn more at ucsf.edu, or see our Fact Sheet.

About BridgeBio Pharma:

BridgeBio is a team of experienced drug discoverers, developers and innovators working to create life-altering medicines that target well-characterized genetic diseases at their source. BridgeBio was founded in 2015 to identify and advance transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from Mendelian diseases, which are diseases that arise from defects in a single gene, and cancers with clear genetic drivers. BridgeBio’s pipeline of over 20 development programs includes product candidates ranging from early discovery to late-stage development. For more information, please visit bridgebio.com.

BridgeBio Pharma Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements we make in this press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are usually identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar expressions.  We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and are making this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions.  These forward-looking statements, including statements relating to expectations, plans, and prospects regarding our ability to build on UCSF’s scientific innovation and genetic disease research and translate them into meaningful medicines for patients in need, the success of current and future relationships with third-party collaborators and academic partners, and the potential ability of our product candidates to treat genetically driven diseases and cancers with clear genetic drivers, reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, and are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made and are not forecasts, promises nor guarantees. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved.  Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the success of our product candidates to treat genetically driven diseases and cancers with clear genetic drivers, the success of our collaboration with UCSF, as well as those risks set forth in the Risk Factors section of BridgeBio Pharma’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and BridgeBio Pharma’s other SEC filings. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment in which new risks emerge from time to time. Except as required by applicable law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

UCSF Contact: Nicholas Weiler | (650) 733-6955 | nicholas.weiler@ucsf.edu
BridgeBio Contact: Grace Rauh | (917) 232-5478 | grace.rauh@bridgebio.com 

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