Under the agreement, Retrophin will supply funds and a library of replacement therapy compounds to St Jude to test for potential use in the treatment of a rare neurodegenerative disease, PKAN.
The agreement will also provide rights to Retrophin to own the intellectual property for the compounds it delivers to St. Jude, while St. Jude will own and have the ability to publish results of the biological tests it performs.
St Jude study principal investigator Suzanne Jackowski said, "This is a great opportunity for me to contribute to the development of a promising treatment for a catastrophic pediatric disease."
Retrophin chief executive officer Martin Shkreli said the collaboration reinforces the company’s commitment to discover treatments for rare diseases, especially those that have a devastating effect on children.
"We’re thrilled to be working with Dr. Jackowski and St. Jude, and look forward to reporting progress on the research program in the coming year," Shkreli added.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.