Under the terms of the collaboration, Emerillon will provide Alethia with a list of genetic loci that are associated with an osteoporotic phenotype in mice. In return, Alethia will generate bone-specific cDNA libraries to help identify these genes. Furthermore, Alethia will conduct cell-based validation studies to determine the functional relevance of the genes provided by Emerillon.
Mario Filion, Alethia’s executive vice president and chief scientific officer, said: “I believe that this genetic approach coupled with our expertise in functional genomics will accelerate the identification and validation of new biological regulators of bone degradation.”
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.