Business incubator records first big hit

The "Corridor 1" business incubator, co-sponsored by the U.Va. Patent Foundation and the Darden School, scored its first success recently when Adenosine Therapeutics LLC signed a licensing agreement with DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company for development of two compounds for use in the heart imaging field.

The compounds, ATL-146e and ATL-193, were invented by Joel Linden, a professor of medicine, and Timothy MacDonald, who chairs U.Va.'s chemistry department. They potentially represent an advancement in the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease in up to 2 million patients annually without the side effects of currently available drugs, said Robert Capon, co-founder and CEO of Adenosine Therapeutics.

DuPont has agreed to pay Adenosine Therapeutics an undisclosed licensing fee, and will fund a three-year research program, clinical trials, with milestone payments tied to clinical accomplishments and royalties.

Adenosine Therapeutics retains the rights to the use of the compounds in other, non-heart-imaging applications.