Genzyme seeks PD drug

[rayilynlee <rayilynlee@xxxxxxx>]

   Genzyme, Calif. firm seek Parkinson's drug

At the Bio International Convention in Boston in May, actor Michael J. Fox
appealed to scientists and investors to aggressively translate research into
creative treatments for Parkinson's, a disease he has fought for over a
decade. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Genzyme Corp. will team up with a California company to develop a treatment
for Parkinson's disease that employs gene therapy.
Genzyme, a Cambridge biotechnology firm, today said it's making a $25
million upfront payment to Ceregene Inc., of San Diego.
Ceregene will also be entitled to development-related milestone payments of
up to $125 million, the companies said.
The partnership will focus on CERE-120, Ceregene's primary program to find a
treatment for Parkinson's, which affects at least 1 million people in the
United States.
The disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that
often impairs motor skills and speech.
Gene therapy is a controversial method of injecting genes into cells to make
proteins that can fight disease, typically using a genetically engineered
virus to carry the gene to the cell.
So far, no gene therapy product has been approved. Research shriveled after
the 1999 death of Jesse Gelsinger, an 18-year-old participant in a gene
therapy clinical trial.
(Chris Reidy, Globe staff/Reuters)
Posted by Boston Globe Business Team at 03:01 PM

Rayilyn Brown
Board Member AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
rbrown@xxxxxxxxx

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