University of Oxford Also Participates in Joint Research
Bukwang Pharmaceutical has signed a partnership agreement with the new drug development unit (DDU) of University of Dundee of the United Kingdom to develop a new Parkinson's disease treatment.
The contract is the same as the DDU's drug discovery partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Takeda.
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurological disorder following Alzheimer's disease, affecting two people per 1,000 population. The worldwide patient number is estimated at 6.1 million.
Beckie Port, a principal investigator of Parkinson’s U.K. said, “We plan to develop a treatment that targets alpha-synuclein to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease, which is currently thought to be untreatable.”
"We are very pleased to learn that Dundee researchers and University of Oxford are working with Bukwang to develop new drugs to help patients suffering from Parkinson's disease," she added.
The research partnership between University of Dundee and University of Oxford, which is supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council is expected to be strengthened through the new partnership with Bukwang Pharmaceutical. The three partners will conduct research programs for the next three years to develop the new drug candidates into clinical development.
The objective of this study is to develop treatments for Parkinson's disease as well as other diseases related to alpha-synuclein, and Bukwang has the exclusive right to acquire worldwide development and commercialization rights for new drug substances.