Mission Therapeutics and AbbVie Announce Strategic Collaboration to Develop DUB-Targeted Therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) has learned that on November 15, 2018, Eastern Time, Mission Therapeutics entered into a collaboration agreement with AbbVie to develop targeted deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Mission Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs targeting deubiquitinating enzymes, and AbbVie is a global research-based biopharmaceutical company. Mission Therapeutics and AbbVie have announced a collaboration to conduct preclinical studies of DUB inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are associated with the deposition of misfolded toxic proteins, which are believed to cause impaired brain function and neuronal death. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) play a crucial role in maintaining cellular health by regulating the degradation of these proteins. There are more than 100 different DUBs in the human body. By modulating specific DUBs in the brain, AbbVie and Mission Therapeutics aim to develop potential therapies that can degrade these toxic proteins and prevent their accumulation.

Image source:fiercebiotechOfficial Website

Dr. James B. Summers, Vice President of AbbVie, stated, “There is an urgent need for new treatments that can positively impact the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Scientists at Mission have conducted impressive early-stage research on these conditions. We will work together to advance this early scientific research and develop meaningful therapies.”

“Commenting on this collaboration, Dr. Anker Lundemose, CEO of Mission, stated: ‘AbbVie is one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, so selecting them as our first major partner was a strategic decision grounded in science. This marks a significant milestone for our company, as we advance our strategic objective of enhancing the value of our DUB expertise through key partnerships.’”

He added, “The AbbVie team brings complementary capabilities, expertise, and financial strength, and we are very much looking forward to collaborating with them. Mission Therapeutics and AbbVie can jointly advance the development of the DUB technology platform to identify effective treatments for these neurodegenerative diseases.”

No financial details of this collaboration were disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will collaborate during the research phase to identify specific DUBs and discover suitable compounds. AbbVie then has the option to obtain exclusive rights for the development and commercialization of up to four selected DUB inhibitors. AbbVie will pay Mission an upfront licensing fee, and Mission is also eligible for milestone payments and royalties on each commercialized product. The collaboration does not include any of Mission’s core DUB programs, including USP30 and USP10.

AbbVie is a global research-based biopharmaceutical company that was officially spun off from Abbott Laboratories and listed on the New York Stock Exchange on January 2, 2013. With nearly 29,000 employees worldwide, its products are sold in more than 170 countries and regions. The company focuses on the research and development of new products in four key therapeutic areas: immunology, virology, nephrology, and anesthesiology.

Mission Therapeutics is a specialized pharmaceutical company founded in 2011, dedicated to selectively targeting deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) with small-molecule inhibitors to effectively treat patients suffering from severe and life-threatening diseases.