Servier, Oncodesign select first preclinical candidate from Parkinson’s disease collaboration

French pharma company Servier and Oncodesign have selected a preclinical candidate from their Parkinson’s disease collaboration, which was first initiated in March 2019.

After selecting the first preclinical candidate within the initial time frame expected for the programme, Servier is aiming to launch regulatory toxicology studies soon.

Servier is also hoping that the product will gain investigational new drug (IND) status during 2022, which would enable the company to exercise its exclusive worldwide licensing option for the programme.

So far, as a result of its partnership with Servier, Oncodesign has received €13m in an upfront payment as well as further milestone payments and funding for research activities relating to the project.

All told, Servier could pay up to €320m in milestone payments to Oncodesign, as well as royalties on potential future sales.

In February 2020, Oncodesign received the first milestone payment as part of the collaboration with Servier, receiving €1m from the French pharma company.

Servier and Oncodesign entered a strategic agreement in March 2019 to research and develop therapeutic agents involving the LRRK2 kinase inhibitors derived from Oncodesign’s Nanocyclix platform.

Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are associated with the highest risk of familial Parkinson’s disease, with increased levels of LRRK2 also observed in patients with no known history of other family members with the disease.

Oncodesign’s Nanocyclix platform uses a macrocyclisation chemical methodology to generate kinase inhibitor candidates 'based on shape complementarity in the ATP binding site' of kinase enzymes.

This method allows for the creation of very selective inhibitors, which do not cross-react with other kinases even if they are structurally very similar.

"Parkinson’s disease is an important part of our strategic focus, with a huge medical need for which there are no disease progression-slowing treatments currently available," said Ross Jeggo, global head of neurology and immunoinflammation therapeutic area at Servier.

"LRRK2 inhibition is a potentially disruptive mechanism that could impact and slow this progression, representing a very important hope for millions of patients worldwide," he added.

In addition to selecting the first preclinical candidate, the collaboration’s research teams also identified other molecules that have ‘substantial’ follow-up potential.

These molecules are similar to the preclinical candidate but have a slightly different profile, the companies said in a statement, representing alternative candidates if ‘difficulties’ arise during the development of the first selected molecule.