Melbourne-base St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) has entered a partnership and license agreement with Janssen.
The partnership is aimed at developing and commercialising small molecule modulators of microglial function and inflammation, with the aim of reducing the amyloid plaque burden and Alzheimer’s disease severity.
The partnership was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation. It will leverage SVI research capability and the expertise of Professor Michael Parker – one of Australia’s leading structural biologists – with Janssen’s drug discovery and development expertise.
According SVI director, Professor Tom Kay, “We welcome this collaboration with Janssen to develop a novel class of Alzheimer’s therapies. SVI is proud of its research excellence and we are excited to partner with Janssen, a pharmaceutical industry leader in neuroscience research and development. At SVI, we continue to work to translate our fundamental discoveries into future medicines to improve health outcomes.”
Professor Parker said, “The burden of Alzheimer’s on our ageing society is ever-increasing, so there is a great need for effective treatments that will lessen this burden and improve the quality of life for people not only in Australia, but throughout the world. We look forward to combining our expertise with Janssen’s drug discovery and development capabilities.”