Drug Discovery Unit partners with Takeda to develop new treatments for tau pathology

The University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit announces a partnership with Takeda, Japan’s largest pharmaceutical company. Together, we will develop possible new therapeutic treatments for tau pathology. This is an underlying feature in several forms of neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Working in collaboration with Dr Will McEwan at the University of Cambridge and Dr Leo James at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the Drug Discovery Unit has identified drug-like molecules that prevent seeded misfolding of tau.

The partnership with Takeda will accelerate the progression of these drug-like molecules towards clinical development, with the potential to become much-needed therapies in diseases where tau is implicated, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr David Gray, Head of Innovative Targets at the Drug Discovery Unit, said, “Our mission is to bridge the gap between innovative life science research and drug development in areas of unmet clinical need, and Alzheimer’s disease is at the top of the list. With support from Medical Research Council we are able to work with leading investigators such as Dr Will McEwan in Cambridge and Dr Leo James at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology to deliver programmes that are ready for industry to take forward. Teaming up with Takeda means we’ll get further, faster – bringing a potential treatment for this debilitating condition one step closer.”

Read the full article on the DDU website

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