Adding another name to an impressive roster of partners assembled over the past few years, Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. inked a neurology-focused deal with Merck KGaA aimed at discovering small-molecule RNA-targeted drugs that could be worth more than $2 billion.
Adding another name to an impressive roster of partners assembled over the past few years, Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. inked a neurology-focused deal with Merck KGaA aimed at discovering small-molecule RNA-targeted drugs that could be worth more than $2 billion.
Novartis AG has disclosed huntingtin (HTT; HD) (mutant) splicing modulators reported to be useful for the treatment of familial dysautonomia, Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy.
Biogen Inc. has disclosed huntingtin (HTT; HD) (mutant) splicing modulators reported to be useful for the treatment of Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
PTC Therapeutics Inc. CEO Matthew Klein said the firm “achieved all we set out to [achieve] in phase II” with PTC-518 in Huntington’s disease (HD), but it wasn’t enough to excite Wall Street, as some questioned whether the level of associations between trial findings and efficacy would appease the U.S. FDA. Shares (NASDAQ:PTCT) ended May 5 at $40.65, down $9.30, or 18.6%. Warren, N.J.-based PTC rolled out the most recent data from the Pivot-HD effort in stage 2 and stage 3 HD with PTC-518, an oral, centrally as well as peripherally distributed huntingtin (HTT) pre-mRNA splicing modifier.
BDNF is the brain’s most abundant neurotrophic factor, playing a key role in neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity through the activation of the transcription factor CREB, which is essential for driving beneficial effects in neurons. CREB is downregulated in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, a group of dominantly inherited CNS disorders, are caused by an abnormal expansion of cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats (usually over 35-40 repeats). PolyQ diseases, including spinocerebellar ataxia and Huntington’s disease, cause brain neurodegeneration, leading to progressive motor and often cognitive signs.
Researchers from Life Edit Therapeutics Inc. recently reported preclinical data on the application of their gene editing technology Life Edit CRISPR system to Huntington’s disease (HD).
Trimtech Therapeutics closed a £25 million (US$31 million) oversubscribed seed funding round to advance its targeted protein degradation treatments for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases.
