KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enigma Biomedical Group - USA (EBG-USA) today announced it has signed an exclusive license and option agreement with AbbVie for the development and potential commercialization of AbbVie’s next-generation F18 PET imaging biomarkers to assess the presence of four-repeat (4R) tau protein in patients with suspected neurodegenerative disease.
The 4R tau PET imaging biomarkers hold great promise as important new tools in advancing the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases linked to misfolded 4R tau protein, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD).
The agreement permits EBG-USA to evaluate AbbVie’s next-generation F18 PET imaging biomarkers. During the initial evaluation period, EBG-USA and AbbVie will collaborate with EBG-USA’s academic and pharmaceutical partner network to validate the preclinical and clinical PET ligands. If the evaluations are favorable, EBG-USA has the option to negotiate an exclusive license agreement with AbbVie for the PET ligands.
“We are delighted that we have been selected as a development partner by AbbVie,” said Rick Hiatt, President and CEO of Enigma Biomedical USA. “EBG-USA is focused on enabling the acceleration of technologies that have the potential to advance the fight against debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, in which we will build on demonstrated successes with best-in-class neuroimaging biomarkers.”
“Amyloid and tau PET imaging continue to have a tremendous impact on the development of therapeutics to treat Alzheimer’s disease,” said Eric Karran, Ph.D., Vice President, Neuroscience Discovery Research at AbbVie. “It is our hope that these novel 4R tau PET ligands will facilitate and accelerate the development of innovative therapies for patients living with other neurodegenerative diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).”
Rick Hiatt at Enigma added, “We believe the AbbVie 4R tau PET imaging biomarkers have unique properties and will prove useful in developing current and future therapeutic agents in neurodegenerative disease. We are excited to add AbbVie to our growing network of pharmaceutical and academic partners. Our goal is to expand the availability of this novel investigational imaging agent to the broader scientific community.”
About Enigma Biomedical Group - USA
Enigma Biomedical Group’s vision is to be the premier provider of imaging biomarkers for neurological pathologies, associated information technology, and related tools to accelerate the development, approval, and adoption of effective therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. EBG’s neuroimaging biomarkers, including NAV-4694, provide Pharma and Academic researchers with best-in-class tools for enabling Disease-Modifying Therapy development with the highest possible precision and accuracy.
