MJFF, Prothena to accelerate new biomarkers discovery for Parkinson's disease

PBR Staff WriterPublished 05 May 2015

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and Irish biotechnology firm Prothena have entered into an agreement to jointly accelerate the discovery of new biomarkers and development of assays to measure Parkinson's disease (PD) progression.

The joint collaboration will focus on biomarkers that may facilitate therapeutic approaches targeting alpha-synuclein, a protein potentially involved in the onset and progression of PD.
MJFF CEO Todd Sherer said: "As more potential therapies come closer to and cross the line to clinical testing - and, in parallel, the number of people with Parkinson's grows as the population ages - the need for Parkinson's biomarkers grows more urgent."
Under the deal, the two parties will support scientific research studies directed toward biomarkers of disease progression and drug efficacy.
Additionally, they will work to identify opportunities where new endpoints or assays may be incorporated into ongoing or future studies.
Prothena president and chief executive officer Dale Schenk said: "We are committed to identifying new insights about the underlying cause and progression of Parkinson's disease and believe that biomarkers clearly defining disease progression may both enhance this understanding and enable more effective, efficient clinical development of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients and families impacted by Parkinson's disease.
"In addition, we believe this collaboration with MJFF will help inform the clinical development strategy for PRX002, a monoclonal antibody for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease.
"We look forward to reporting results from our ongoing Phase I multiple ascending dose study of PRX002 in patients with Parkinson's disease during the first half of 2016."