Eisai Partners for Alzheimer’s Disease
Eisai and the Boston University School of Medicine have formed a research collaboration to study the effects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated genetic variants on the behavior of brain cells, called microglia.
Under the two-year agreement, Eisai’s immuno-dementia discovery research team at its Andover innovative Medicines Institute will work with Tsuneya Ikezu, MD, PhD, professor of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics and neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, as the principal investigator, to study the functional impact of AD-associated genetic variants on microglial biology. Dr. Ikezu’s lab has experience in the cell biology of microglia and has studied how the innate aspect of the central nervous system influences the pathology and progression of neurodegenerative disease.
The goal of the pact is to understand the mechanisms underlying known genetic drivers of microglial malfunction, which are believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of AD dementia, according to Eisai. Using information attained from the study, the parties hope to develop tools for understanding microglial biology and dissect the functional impact of microglially expressed proteins.
Source: Eisai