NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Regulus Therapeutics today announced a new collaborative agreement with Biogen Idec to identify microRNAs for multiple sclerosis.
The agreement, to be carried out by the Regulus microMarkers division, will profile whole blood samples from a cohort of MS patients who have received Biogen's MS therapy in order to discover potential miRNA biomarkers. The deal replaces a prior agreement reached by the firms in 2012, under which Regulus used its technology to extract, profile, and analyze miRNAs from small volumes of blood. As part of that research, Regulus profiled more than 400 serum samples from MS patients and compared them with profiles from healthy volunteers.
Regulus will receive a $2 million upfront payment under the terms of the new deal and is eligible for additional payments upon certain milestones being achieved related to the identification of potential miRNA biomarkers.
"Our collaboration has made significant progress to date and we are hopeful to continue to help advance Biogen Idec's leading multiple sclerosis franchise in a meaningful way with our innovative technology platform." David Szekeres, chief business officer and general counsel for Regulus, said in a statement.