The Rockefeller University in New York City has signed an exclusive global licensing agreement with pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-aventis to develop, manufacture, and commercialize a novel monoclonal antibody that targets certain forms of the amyloid beta (a-beta) parenchymal plaque for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Additional terms of the license were not disclosed. The anti-a-beta antibody therapy offers a promising approach to prevent and reverse the formation of amyloid plaques between nerve cells in the brain, potentially leading to cognitive improvement in patients with AD. The technology was developed in the lab of Jeffrey V. Ravetch, MD, PhD, Theresa and Eugene M. Lang professor in Rockefeller’s Leonard Wagner laboratory of molecular genetics and immunology. Ravetch discovered the original murine monoclonal antibody targeting the a-beta peptide — a target that may have a significant impact in managing patients with AD, according to Marc Cluzel, executive vice president of R&D at Sanofi-aventis. The antibody will enter development at the end of 2009.
Source: PipelineReview.com