CAMBRIDGE, Mass. /PRNewswire/ -- Disc Medicine, a hematology company that is applying new insights in hepcidin biology to develop therapies addressing ineffective red blood cell production in hematologic diseases, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with AbbVie for the worldwide rights to a series of hemojuvelin antagonist monoclonal antibodies. Terms of the license agreement have not been disclosed.

"The addition of these hemojuvelin antagonist antibodies to our pipeline is an excellent strategic fit for Disc Medicine," said Brian MacDonald, founder and interim CEO of Disc Medicine. "Our first program is a novel, orally administered therapy which increases hepcidin expression to treat iron loading anemias. In contrast, these antibodies target hemojuvelin to reduce hepcidin expression and provide us with the opportunity to develop new approaches to the treatment of anemia in a different spectrum of chronic inflammatory and hematologic diseases."

Hepcidin, a small peptide hormone produced in the liver, is the key regulator of iron metabolism that when dysregulated is associated with either iron overload or iron deficiency.  Both of these conditions can be associated with ineffective red blood cell production, often leading to severe anemia in a range of hematological and non-hematological diseases that can significantly impact lifespan as well as quality of life.