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 Tau is a protein known for forming tangles inside brain cells and is
linked to cell death. It is one of two abnormal proteins tied to the
memory-robbing disease. The other is beta amyloid.
The Swiss company already has another major tie-up with Roche for a
beta amyloid-fighting drug called crenezumab.
The hope is that therapeutic vaccines targeting tau will offer a way
to treat Alzheimer’s patients earlier in the disease.
AC Immune said on Monday it would receive an upfront sum and further
payments based on scientific and commercial progress under the
worldwide exclusive licence agreement and research collaboration
with J&J's Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit.
J&J will further develop AC Immune's lead therapeutic vaccine,
ACI-35, which is currently in an early-stage Phase Ib clinical
trial. ACI-35 is designed to stimulate the patient's immune system
to produce a response against tau protein.
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It is a decade since the last drug was approved to treat
Alzheimer's, and there is still no treatment that can slow the
progression of the disease, with current drugs only easing some of
the symptoms of the disorder.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Jason Neely)
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