Celera Diagnostics Announces Target & Marker Discovery Collaboration With Merck

Research to Focus Primarily on Alzheimer's Disease

29-Jul-2004

Celera Diagnostics, a joint venture between the Celera Genomics Group and Applied Biosystems Group of Applera Corporation, today announced it has entered into a collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc. to identify novel targets for drug discovery and diagnostic markers related to Alzheimer's disease.

Under the terms of the agreement, Celera Diagnostics will conduct a functional genome scan with the goal of identifying novel gene associations with Alzheimer's disease. Merck will receive rights for therapeutic applications from the studies in Alzheimer's disease, as well as for certain other neurological disorders, while Celera Diagnostics will retain rights for diagnostic applications from the studies. Merck will fund discovery research at Celera Diagnostics related to this collaboration. In addition, Merck will make certain clinical milestone payments and pay a royalty on sales of pharmaceutical products Merck commercializes as a result of this study. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Currently there are no definitive diagnostic tests for this devastating disease, which also has limited therapeutic options. We believe a better understanding of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer's disease could some day result in new products to diagnose and treat the condition," said Kathy Ordoñez, president, Celera Diagnostics. "This collaboration with Merck provides both parties with the opportunity to leverage the power of the disease association platform we have used at Celera Diagnostics to identify novel genetic associations in several important diseases."

"Alzheimer's disease continues to represent a significant unmet medical need," said Dennis W. Choi, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, Neurosciences, at Merck Research Laboratories. "The collaboration with Celera Diagnostics provides us with the opportunity to scan the human genome for genetic variations associated with Alzheimer's disease, which could have therapeutic implications and complement research currently underway at Merck."

Celera Diagnostics' disease association studies compare genotype and/or gene expression profiles in large sample collections to identify genetic markers linked with disease. Celera Diagnostics is currently conducting large-scale disease association studies for multiple complex diseases, including cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, hepatitis C and diabetes. The company has discovered and replicated multiple genetic markers in several disease areas, some of which have been presented at scientific meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals over the last year. Last week, Celera Diagnostics and its collaborators reported novel findings at the 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/38849/celera-diagnostics-announces-target-marker-discovery-collaboration-with-merck.html