Indianapolis, Indiana; March 2, 2020 – LGENIA, an Indiana-based biotechnology company which has to date focused on its partnership with the TB Drug Accelerator (sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) announces today that it will collaborate with the Indiana University School of Medicine to discover new medicines for Alzheimer’s disease.
The IU School of Medicine was recently awarded a $36 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create an Alzheimer’s disease drug discovery center with the aim of accelerating the discovery of promising new therapies. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the aging population, affecting an estimated 5.5 million Americans, about 110,000 of whom live in Indiana. The national number is projected to rise as much as 14 million cases by 2050. There are currently no treatments to prevent or slow progression of the disease, and numerous late stage clinical trials have failed. There is a growing body of evidence that certain genes associated with the immune system may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, opening a new avenue for drug discovery. This new collaboration will initially focus on targets related to the brain’s immune system that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Philip Hipskind, CEO of LGENIA said: “Our collaboration with the IU School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Center will allow us to apply our many experiences in drug discovery to this critically important medical need. As many of the main Alzheimer’s disease hypotheses in the pharmaceutical industry have failed thus far, the time is right for LGENIA to explore novel territory. We are excited to work with Indiana University and their neuroimmunology platform.”
“We are very excited to have LGENIA as an integral collaborator for our Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Center. The talented scientific team at LGENIA brings many years of diverse drug discovery experience that will certainly enhance our work and contribute to advancing the science toward combating Alzheimer’s disease” said Alan Palkowitz, Senior Research Professor at IU School of Medicine and director of the center.
About LGENIA. Lgenia, Inc. is a Fortville, Indiana-based biotechnology company focused on novel therapeutics for only the world’s most serious diseases. LGENIA’s mission is the discovery of new medications for debilitating diseases to make them more affordable for all. www.lgenia.com.
About Indiana University School of Medicine. IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.
*For information on the IUSM NIH/NIA Grant, see: https://medicine.iu.edu/news/2019/10/iu-school-of-medicine-awarded-36-million-nih-grant-for-alzheimers-disease-drug-discovery-center/