CHDI
Lundbeck and CHDI Foundation announce research collaboration to investigate candidate therapy for Huntington’s disease
Deerfield, Ill., – CHDI Foundation, Inc. and Lundbeck today announced a research collaboration to investigate a targeted therapy for Huntington’s disease (HD). Currently, no treatment exists to slow or halt the progression of HD,1 a challenging hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of behavioral, cognitive, and motor symptoms.2
As part of the collaboration CHDI will conduct pre-clinical studies on a Lundbeck investigative compound. Research will focus on the compound’s effect on P2X receptors that may be involved in HD.3 The study results will influence future research into this and other compounds for HD.
“One of our important functions at CHDI is to seek out promising research ideas in the HD field, and this includes this interesting new work on Lundbeck’s compound. Lundbeck is well established in central nervous system drug research and development, and we’re looking forward to tapping their expertise,” noted Ignacio Munoz-Sanjuan, Vice President, Translational Biology at CHDI. “Lundbeck has a proven track record of not only bringing new therapies to market but also working to support the needs of their patient communities. We hope this research collaboration provides a stepping stone for future therapies that slow the progression of HD.”
CHDI is a privately-funded, not-for-profit biomedical research organization that works with an international network of scientists to discover and develop therapies for HD. The organization actively enables HD research by collaborating with research organizations and pharmaceutical companies conducting promising research, often providing financial support. CHDI activities include exploratory biology, clinical studies and trials, and educational workshops. Cooperation is key to finding therapies for HD, which is why CHDI works with a variety of researchers within the HD research community.
“We look forward to working with this distinguished group of scientists who share our dedication to the HD community,” said Staffan Schüberg, president of Lundbeck. “CHDI is a beacon of hope for the HD community and devotes itself entirely to finding therapies that have the potential to improve the lives of HD families. Given our shared commitment, we are thrilled to partner with them and hope that our research will lead to advancements in HD therapeutic options. We are also pleased that this announcement coincides with HD Awareness Month to help draw attention to the need to find therapies for this degenerative neurological disease.”
This collaboration is part of Lundbeck’s continued commitment to its HD Research Initiative, launched in 2010 to identify and ultimately commercialize therapies that may slow or halt the progression of the disease. The initiative is driven by collaborations with academic institutions, research organizations and companies that share Lundbeck’s ongoing commitment to the HD community. In 2011, Lundbeck and the University of Massachusetts Medical School began to investigate RNAi-based therapies to suppress the production of mutant huntingtin (mHtt), the abnormal protein that causes HD. Those conducting early-stage HD research and interested in exploring opportunities to collaborate with Lundbeck should send an email to .
About Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of progressive behavioral, cognitive, and motor symptoms2 that vary from person to person. The survival time after the onset of symptoms can range from 10 to 30 years.1 The HD gene, whose mutation results in the disease, was localized in 1983 and isolated in 1993.4,5 For more information on HD, please visit HDBuzz (hdbuzz.net) or the Hereditary Disease Foundation (www.hdfoundation.org).
About CHDI Foundation, Inc.
CHDI Foundation, Inc. is a privately-funded, not-for-profit, biomedical research organization exclusively dedicated to rapidly discovering and developing therapies that slow the progression of Huntington’s disease. As a collaborative enabler, CHDI seeks to bring the right partners together to identify and address critical scientific issues and move drug candidates to clinical evaluation as quickly as possible. Our scientists work closely with a network of more than 600 researchers in academic and industrial laboratories around the world in the pursuit of these novel therapies, providing strategic scientific direction to ensure that our common goals remain in focus. More information about CHDI can be found at www.chdifoundation.org.
About Lundbeck in the U.S.
Lundbeck in the U.S., headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S in Denmark. Lundbeck is dedicated to providing innovative specialty therapies that fulfill unmet medical needs of people with central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as Huntington’s disease. In 2010, Lundbeck initiated the HD Research Initiative to identify and ultimately commercialize therapies that may slow or halt the progression of Huntington’s disease. This research is driven by collaborations with academic institutions and companies with promising compounds in development. For more information, visitwww.lundbeckus.com.
About Lundbeck
H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN.CO, LUN DC, HLUKY) is an international pharmaceutical company highly committed to improving the quality of life for people suffering from brain disorders. For this purpose, Lundbeck is engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company’s products are targeted at disorders such as depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, insomnia, epilepsy, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Lundbeck was founded in 1915 by Hans Lundbeck in Copenhagen, Denmark. Today Lundbeck employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide. Lundbeck is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies working with brain disorders. In 2011, the company’s revenue was DKK 16.0 billion (approximately EUR 2.2 billion or USD 3.0 billion). For more information, please visit www.lundbeck.com.
Contact
Lundbeck
Katie White
(847) 282-1929
Sources
1. Huntington’s Disease. Mayo Clinic. http://mayoclinic.com/print/huntingtons-disease/DS00401/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print. Last accessed 11/22/10.
2. Marshall FJ, Clinical Features and Treatment of Huntington’s Disease. Movement Disorders 2004; 1:589-596.
3. Ihle D, Guo Q, Hodgetss K, Yuan J. (2010). U.S. Patent No. 0266509. Washington, DC: U.S.
4. Huntington’s Disease Collaborative Research Group. A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington’s disease chromosomes. Cell 1993; 72:971-983.
5. Gusella J, Wexler N, Conneally PM, Naylor S, Anderson M, Tanzi R, Watkins PC, Ottina K, Wallace M, Sakguchi A, Young AB, Shoulson I, Bonilla E, Martin JB. A polymorphic DNA marker genetically linked to Huntington’s disease. Nature 1983; 306:234-238.