GSK and Vesalius Therapeutics have entered into a strategic partnership worth $650m to discover and develop new treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and one additional neurodegeneration indication.
The alliance will see Vesalius use its proprietary platform to identify new intervention points that GSK may then advance.
GSK will also be granted global development and commercial rights from Vesalius to a preclinical small molecule programme with an initial focus in PD.
More than ten million people worldwide are living with PD, a progressive neurological disorder characterised by symptoms such as tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with balance.
Founded in 2019 by Flagship Pioneering, Vesalius is focused on identifying previously unrecognised groups of patients who are likely to respond favourably to treatments by targeting novel points of intervention.
The company uses large-scale human genetics, genomics, induced pluripotent stem cell models and artificial intelligence to reveal causal biology and identify optimal intervention points for new therapies.
Kaivan Khavandi, senior vice president, global head of respiratory/immunology research and development at GSK, said: “Using the Vesalius platform to understand underlying drivers of such neurodegenerative diseases and select optimal therapeutic interventions underscores our focus on leveraging advanced technology to identify and target the root causes of disease.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Vesalius will receive $80m in upfront and equity payments, and will be eligible for preclinical, development and commercial milestone payments of up to $570m, plus tiered royalties for the preclinical small molecule programme.
Vesalius will also be in line for preclinical, development and commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties for each of the intervention points resulting from the deal.
John Mendlein, executive chairman and interim chief executive officer of Vesalius Therapeutics, and executive partner at Flagship Pioneering, said: “PD has tremendous unmet need, and the number of new intervention points has changed very little in 60 years for patients and their families… Central to our alliance with GSK is our shared conviction that targeting the causal factors of common diseases like PD is the key to developing breakthrough medicines faster and with a higher probability of success.”
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