AbbVie has bought an exclusive option to acquire Mitokinin once the UCSF spinout completes IND-enabling studies for its Parkinson’s treatment.
Mitokinin, a US-based developer of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases based on research at University of California, San Francisco, sold an exclusive buyout option to pharmaceutical firm AbbVie on Tuesday.
AbbVie has made an upfront payment, though financial terms were not disclosed. It will have the right to acquire Mitokinin once the spinout has completed investigational new drug-enabling studies for its lead asset, a potential therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
The two companies have also negotiated a collaborative research plan for the product candidate, though further details were not revealed.
Mitokinin’s approach relies on increasing the activity of Pink1, a gene linked to Parkinson’s disease. The spinout hopes this will address the mitochondrial dysfunction that plays a contributing factor in the condition’s pathogenesis and progression.
The company is based on research by co-founders Prof Kevan Shokat and his then-PhD candidate Nicholas Hertz, who now serves as chief scientific…
Thierry Heles
Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).
