APRINOIA Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics and diagnostic imaging tools for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that it has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Celgene Corporation. The agreement authorizes Celgene to use APN-1607, a novel investigational [ F]-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracer, to support patient selection and efficacy evaluation in its global clinical trials. Under the agreement, APRINOIA will receive undisclosed annual license and usage fees.
APN-1607 has been evaluated clinically in several countries/regions, including the USA, Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China. It is a PET imaging tracer with the potential to visualize tau pathology in diverse tauopathies, including Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Corticobasal Degeneration Syndrome (CBS), and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Specifically for PSP, APRINOIA was granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation status for APN-1607 in this indication in 2017.
APRINOIA is currently deploying APN-1607 in leading academic medical centers globally to offer collaborators access to the technology. Its partners can thereby apply APN-1607 to better understand the natural history of tau pathology in rare tauopathies as well as Alzheimer’s Disease. APN-1607 also has important value in the development of effective treatments for these diseases. APRINOIA is leveraging this tracer to drive its own tau therapeutic program as well.
‘We are excited to collaborate with Celgene, one of our most valued global partners,’ said Ming-Kuei Jang, PhD, CEO OF APRINOIA. ‘With APN-1607’s unique properties, we believe it can offer our partners a valuable tool to validate therapeutic candidates for diverse neurodegenerative disorders, including multiple tauopathies.’