Date: 2013-01-22
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: mGluR4 PAMs (Positive Allosteric Modulators)
Company: Domain Therapeutics (France) Prexton Therapeutics (Switzerland)
Therapeutic area: Neurodegenerative diseases - CNS diseases
Type agreement: licensing
Action mechanism: mGluR4 is a glutamate receptor, member of the G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) family and is believed to be a potential therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease. Allosteric modulation of mGluR4 receptors is thought to exert regulatory activity on glutamate-mediated neurotransmission.
Disease: Parkinson's disease
Details: Domain Therapeutics has granted Prexton Therapeutics (Geneva - Switzerland) an exclusive option to license and develop metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) Positive Allosteric Modulator (PAM) drugs targeting Parkinson’s disease. The chemical series was previously developed through a licensing and collaboration agreement signed between Domain and Merck Serono, a division of Merck (Darmstadt - Germany) in January 2011. This agreement between Domain Therapeutics and Prexton Therapeutics - a spin-off company of Merck Serono formed around its R&D portfolio in the field of Parkinson’s disease - follows a strategic decision from Merck Serono to focus its research efforts on certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and immunemediated diseases. Under the terms of the agreement signed between Domain and Prexton, Prexton will benefit from an exclusive license option to progress the mGluR4 PAM drug candidates into clinical development.
Financial terms:
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