Beckman Coulter, Inc. and Fujirebio joined forces to explore and develop blood-based biomarkers for detecting tau pathology in the brain, with the goal of advancing and potentially commercializing new diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The partnership aims to create tau-specific blood tests that could offer valuable insights into the disease’s underlying mechanisms and aid in the development of novel therapies targeting tau pathology.
The collaboration will focus on discovering and enhancing blood-based biomarkers for tau pathology in AD, with the objective of developing new tools to assess brain tau levels. These tools could help in stratifying patients and monitoring treatment responses in clinical trials for AD.
The initiative holds promise for advancing tau-specific blood biomarkers and diagnostic tools that could be utilized both in clinical research and in everyday practice, facilitating the integration of future therapies targeting tau pathology.
Jane Grogan, Ph.D., Head of Research at Biogen, emphasized, “As we develop next-generation Alzheimer’s therapies, such as tau-targeting ASOs, there is an increasing need to stratify and monitor patients for tau pathology. This collaboration will harness our expertise in biomarker development and our partners’ diagnostic capabilities to potentially accelerate the creation of blood-based diagnostics for measuring tau levels”.
Kathleen Orland, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Chemistry, and Immunoassay at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics mentioned, “The collaboration with Biogen and Fujirebio merges cutting-edge biomarker development with innovative tau-targeting treatments, bringing us closer to effective solutions. Our commitment to providing high-quality neurological tests through our global network underscores our dedication to enhancing blood-based Alzheimer’s disease testing for millions of dementia patients”.
Monte Wiltse, President and CEO of Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., added, “Developing blood-based biomarkers for tau pathology is crucial for advancing disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative disorders like AD. This partnership will help accelerate our efforts to create and deliver new diagnostic tools to labs and clinicians worldwide, addressing the critical need for blood-based biomarkers”.
As reported by businesswireindia.com, Biogen will contribute Alzheimer’s clinical study data and biomarker research expertise to identify key tau pathology markers. Fujirebio and Beckman Coulter will handle the diagnostic development, manufacturing, and commercialization processes.