Oligomerix lands grant to develop AD assays

New York, NY-based Oligomerix has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research Phase I grant of $323,000 by the National Institute of Health. The grant will be used to fund the development of biomarker assays for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of the program is to to develop biomarker assays for the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of tau oligomer formation. "Our focus is to develop assays that can be used for drug discovery for AD," stated James Moe, Ph.D., MBA, President and CEO of OLIGOMERIX "Any validated assays developed under this program for disease staging or definitive diagnosis of AD will be potential out-licensing opportunities for the company."

The company will work in collaboration with Drs. Lawrence S. Honig and Richard Mayeux of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center.

- read the Oligomerix release

ALSO: Adlyfe also landed an agreement with Wyeth to develop biomarker assays for AD. The multi-year deal includes an upfront payment and future milestones. No further financial details were disclosed.  Chief Executive Officer Alan S. Rudolph, Ph.D., MBA said, "This agreement is a strong statement on the potential of Adlyfe's Pronucleon technology. This partnership will enable us to move faster in developing our assay, which could serve as an important tool in assessing the efficacy of amyloid-targeted therapies." Release