Athena and Lilly Sign Agreement For Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.INDIANAPOLIS--(HealthWire)--June 1, 1995--Eli Lilly and Company and Athena Neurosciences Inc. have signed a joint licensing agreement for their recently announced transgenic trans·ge·nic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or being an organism whose genome has been altered by the transfer of a gene or genes from another species or breed: transgenic mice. 2. mouse model 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. . The transgenic mouse has been acclaimed as a breakthrough in the search for an animal model for Alzheimer's disease and may assist scientists in developing potential drugs to treat the disease. Lilly and Athena today signed an amendment to their Alzheimer's collaboration agreement originally entered into by the companies in 1988. This amendment reinforces the concept that each company has equal rights of ownership to the mouse model. The ownership rights will continue even after the 1996 expiration of the current collaboration agreement. In February of this year, Athena and Lilly scientists and their collaborators announced the mouse model in the scientific journal Nature. The companies presented data on a transgenic mouse (also known as the PDAPP mouse) that robustly develops the plaque-like pathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. Research of the causes of Alzheimer's disease and discovery work on potential treatments historically have been hindered because of the lack of an animal model of the disease. "The transgenic mouse model represents an important animal model of the critical pathology of Alzheimer's disease," said Steven M. Paul, M.D., vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories Lilly Research Laboratories is the organizational name of the global pharmaceutical research and development organization of Eli Lilly and Company, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical corporations. and head of central nervous system research. "We and Athena plan to invest significant effort and resources to breed and characterize this model both to test prospective drugs and enhance our understanding of how the neuropathology neuropathology /neu·ro·pa·thol·o·gy/ (-pah-thol´ah-je) pathology of diseases of the nervous system. neu·ro·pa·thol·o·gy n. The study of diseases of the nervous system. of Alzheimer's disease evolves." Ivan Lieberburg, M.D., Ph.D., Athena's vice president, research, commented, "This amendment allows scientists from Athena and Lilly to derive the full scientific benefit of this exciting model. Together, we will continue our joint quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the drugs that will eventually treat Alzheimer's disease." Financial details of the amendment were not disclosed. However, Lilly will increase its funding in support of Athena's research efforts and will provide certain other financial assistance. Alzheimer's disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease Neurodegenerative disease A disease in which the nervous system progressively and irreversibly deteriorates. Mentioned in: Amnesia that causes cognitive dysfunction, dementia and, ultimately, death. The disease afflicts an estimated four million adults in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and is the fourth leading cause of death. Athena Neurosciences Inc. was founded in 1986 and is engaged in the discovery, development and marketing of products and services to be used primarily by neurologists for the treatment and diagnosis of neurological disorders This is a list of major and frequently observed neurological disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's disease), symptoms (e.g.back pain), signs (e.g. aphasia) and syndromes (e.g. Aicardi syndrome). . Alzheimer's disease is a major focus of research at Athena, and the company is committed to the discovery and development of effective products for both the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company and one of the world's largest corporations. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. is a global research-based pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Indianapolis that is working with its customers worldwide to help ensure that diseases are prevented, managed and cured with maximum benefit and minimum cost to patients and society. The company's central nervous system research currently focuses on developing treatments for Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, depression, pain, sleep disorders Sleep Disorders Definition Sleep disorders are a group of syndromes characterized by disturbance in the patient's amount of sleep, quality or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep. and other neurological disorders. CONTACT: Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis Lori Darvas, 317/277-1588 Jeff Newton, 317/276-3570 Athena Ivan M. Lieberburg, M.D., 415/877-0900 |
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