Intellect and MRCT collaborate on Alzheimer’s drug

The antibodies are intended as a form of passive immunization to promote clearance from the brain of the endogenous soluble Alzheimer’s toxin, beta-amyloid, where it accumulates and causes devastating damage to victims of the disease. Humanization is an essential step in making antibodies safe for use in humans.

Under the terms of the agreement, Intellect will pay MRCT milestone payments related to the development and commercialization of the humanized antibodies and a royalty based on sales of the resulting drug products. Intellect is the holder of patents in Japan and other countries related to antibodies, and methods of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

“The humanization step marks an important milestone in the development of our antibodies,” said Dr Daniel Chain, CEO and chairman of Intellect. “Our monoclonal antibodies incorporate a unique safety feature that is needed to avoid the danger of interference with the important physiological functions of other related proteins.”

Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease involves making an antibody molecule available to bind to the endogenous beta-amyloid toxin, thus promoting its clearance away from the brain. This therapeutic outcome can be achieved either by provoking the patient’s immune system to generate such an antibody (active immunization) or by administering an externally generated antibody (passive immunization). Both approaches have the potential to slow or arrest disease progression provided that key safety issues are addressed.