Acumen Pharmaceuticals Announces Amended Agreement with Merck to Include Exclusive Diagnostic Rights.SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO South San Francisco, city (1990 pop. 54,312), San Mateo co., W Calif.; inc. 1908. South San Francisco has several industrial parks; its manufactures include medical supplies and equipment, foods, paint, paper products, consumer goods, and clothing. , Calif. -- Acumen Pharmaceuticals, a leading pre-clinical biotech company working in Alzheimer's therapeutics, today announced that it has amended its existing license agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to grant an exclusive license to research and develop amyloid-derived diffusible diffusible /dif·fus·ible/ (di-fuz´i-b'l) susceptible of becoming widely spread. ligand (ADDL ADDL Additional ADDL Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (University of the Philippines, College of Veterinary Medicine) ADDL American Double Dutch League ADDL Amyloid Beta-Derived Diffusible Ligand ) directed diagnostic products. The two companies signed a license agreement in 2004 to research and develop disease-modifying therapeutic drugs for Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. and other memory-related disorders utilizing Acumen's ADDL technology. Under the terms of that original agreement, Merck obtained an exclusive license to research and develop monoclonal antibody monoclonal antibody, an antibody that is mass produced in the laboratory from a single clone and that recognizes only one antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are typically made by fusing a normally short-lived, antibody-producing B cell (see immunity) to a fast-growing products, an option to develop vaccine products, and the non-exclusive rights to develop diagnostic products. The amendment to the agreement grants Merck exclusive rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic products directed to ADDLs. All other rights to antibody products and the option to develop a vaccine remain unchanged. Acumen will continue to collaborate with academics and other pharmaceutical companies to independently develop small molecule therapeutics. ADDLs are small protein assemblies that are widely believed to be the cause of Alzheimer's disease. They bind to synapses and initiate aberrant aberrant /ab·er·rant/ (ah-ber´ant) (ab´ur-ant) wandering or deviating from the usual or normal course. ab·er·rant adj. 1. signaling, destroying the brain's capability to store and retrieve information. In collaboration with Merck, Acumen is developing an ADDL antibody program designed to prevent ADDLs from causing brain damage. "There is strong synergy between Acumen's discovery capabilities and ADDL-related know-how, and Merck's discovery and development capabilities," said David Summa, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Acumen. "We look forward to continuing to work together to develop and commercialize ADDL diagnostics." "We are pleased to execute this amendment with Acumen," said Mervyn Turner, Ph.D. senior vice president, Worldwide Licensing and External Research at Merck. "We have had a highly productive collaboration to date and look forward to continuing our work with Acumen in the field of Alzheimer's Disease". About Acumen Acumen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (www.acumenpharm.com) is a venture-backed, pre-clinical biotech company focused on developing the first effective therapeutics and diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease and other memory-related disorders. Founded in 1996, Acumen owns or has licensed certain important patents underlying the ADDL mechanism now widely believed to cause Alzheimer's disease. In addition to ELISA-based diagnostic, Acumen has several therapeutic approaches to stop ADDL-related diseases. NeuroVentures LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control has made a seed investment in the company. |
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