Date: 2013-09-12
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: compounds that prevent or slow down the loss of motor neurons
Company: Evotec (Germany) Harvard Stem Cell Institute (USA - MA)
Therapeutic area: Neurodegenerative diseases - Rare diseases
Type agreement: R&D
collaboration
Action mechanism:
Disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Details: * On September 12, 2013, Evotec has announced a strategic partnership with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (“HSCI”) to identify compounds that prevent or slow down the loss of motor neurons, which is characteristic of the human disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The collaboration “CureMN” (CureMotorNeuron) will leverage human motor neuron assays based on ALS patient-derived induced pluripotent stem (“iPS”) cells that were developed by Dr Lee Rubin, HSCI Principal Faculty member and professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard, and Dr Kevin Eggan, Early Career Scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HSCI Principal Faculty member and professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard as well as Evotec’s leading drug discovery infrastructure and expertise to identify compounds that will have therapeutic value against this life-threatening disease.
This agreement marks the third collaboration between Evotec and leading Harvard Stem Cell Institute scientists – and the fourth with Harvard scientists – and significantly expands a partnership model which combines cutting-edge academic research from Harvard with Evotec’s leading drug platform and expertise. This partnership model efficiently and effectively drives the development of innovative drug candidates.
Evotec has also reached an agreement in principal with PatientsLikeMe (www.patientslikeme.com) on approaches to rapidly evaluate any patient testable theories about progression or pathways that might express themselves in ALS patients.
Financial terms: Financial details were not disclosed.
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