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news.Acumen Pharmaceuticals has amended its existing license agreement with Merck & Co to grant a license to develop products using Acumen's technology for Alzheimer's disease.
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The two companies signed a license agreement in 2004 to research and develop disease-modifying therapeutic drugs for Alzheimer's disease and other memory-related disorders utilizing Acumen's amyloid-derived diffusible ligand products (ADDL) technology.
Under the terms of that original agreement, Merck obtained an exclusive license to research and develop monoclonal antibody products, an option to develop vaccine products, and the non-exclusive rights to develop diagnostic products. The amendment to the agreement grants Merck exclusive rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic products directed to ADDLs.
ADDLs are small protein assemblies that are widely believed to be the cause of Alzheimer's disease. They bind to synapses and initiate aberrant signaling, destroying the brain's capability to store and retrieve information. In collaboration with Merck, Acumen is developing an ADDL antibody program designed to prevent ADDLs from causing brain damage.
“There is strong synergy between Acumen's discovery capabilities and ADDL-related know-how, and Merck's discovery and development capabilities,” said David Summa, president and CEO of Acumen.