Vanderbilt, Bristol-Myers Squibb partner to advance Parkinson’s disease treatment

Sep 21 2012

Vanderbilt University and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced today that they have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies acting on the mGluR4 glutamate receptor, known as positive allosteric modulators or PAMs, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

“The long-term commitment of and collaboration with the MJFF were critical to advancing this program to the stage where it is now perfectly positioned to work closely with Bristol-Myers Squibb for further development”

Under the collaboration, the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD) will identify drug candidates from its existing program, which obtained major support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). Bristol-Myers Squibb will have the right to develop and commercialize products resulting from the collaborative research program.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vanderbilt University will receive an upfront payment and multi-year research funding to continue to discover additional compounds. Vanderbilt is eligible to receive milestones and royalties based on developmental success and worldwide sales of the drugs emerging from the collaboration.

"The long-term commitment of and collaboration with the MJFF were critical to advancing this program to the stage where it is now perfectly positioned to work closely with Bristol-Myers Squibb for further development," said P. Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D., VCNDD director and Lee E. Limbird, Chair in Pharmacology. "Partnering with Bristol-Myers Squibb is a real win for Vanderbilt and for Parkinson's patients."

"We all look forward to a productive collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, which brings tremendous expertise and a strong commitment to advancing the program," added Craig Lindsley, Ph.D., VCNDD director of medicinal chemistry.

"At Bristol-Myers Squibb we are dedicated to discovering and developing medicines that address serious unmet need," said Francis Cuss, MB BChir, FRCP, senior vice president for Research at Bristol-Myers Squibb. "As part of our strategy, we continually seek to build relationships with organizations that have innovative programs and capabilities that complement our own internal efforts. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery's highly regarded scientists and laboratories to potentially find a way to help patients with Parkinson's disease."