In the collaboration, Californian drug developer KineMed will identify new therapeutic utility in in vivo preclinical models by applying its proprietary translational medicine technologies. Once a disease target is established for a selected drug candidate, KineMed and Merck KGaA will jointly determine the best development and commercialization path for the development candidates being studied.
Under the terms of the agreement, KineMed will receive from Merck an upfront payment, milestones and royalty payments on products advanced with KineMed's technology. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.