Companies to develop innovative research tools to advance the study of Alzheimer’s disease

Cobham, UK and Billerica, MA – Proteome Sciences plc (LSE PRM) and Millipore Corporation (NYSE MIL) today announced they have signed an exclusive license agreement to develop new products that will help to advance the study of Alzheimer’s disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Millipore will develop Luminex® bead-based multiplex immunoassays to measure Proteome Sciences’ proprietary Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. The ability to quickly test for these biomarkers will enable researchers to develop new drugs and diagnostics to treat and monitor patients with Alzheimer’s.

“We are pleased to be working with Millipore,” said Proteome Sciences’ CEO Christopher Pearce. “We see this as a key step in the development of clinical tests for Alzheimer’s disease. These diagnostics will help scientists more precisely diagnose and monitor Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, which are critically important.”

Proteome Sciences has established a strong portfolio of patent-protected blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease working in collaboration with the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College, London. A number of these biomarkers have been independently identified and their relationship to Alzheimer’s disease confirmed by researchers at GlaxoSmithKline.

“This collaboration will help us achieve our broader goal of advancing the study of neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases,” said Jonathan DiVincenzo, President of Millipore’s Bioscience Division. “By expanding our portfolio of multiplex immunoassays targeting Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, we will complement our portfolio of products for neuroscience that includes antibodies and ELISAs, neural stem cells, specialty media, and cell-based high content analysis kits. The development of a comprehensive multiplex Alzheimer’s panel will accelerate research and ultimately lead to better monitoring as a clinical tool.”

Millipore will acquire the exclusive right to develop and sell Luminex bead-based panels for research related to the study of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive function disorders. Proteome Sciences retains all rights to clinical applications of these biomarkers. Financial terms of the license agreement were not disclosed.

Alzheimer’s disease – Background

5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease

A suspected new case is identified every 70 seconds in the US

It is 5th leading cause of death in persons over the age of 65

Economic costs exceed $142 bn in 2005 with $112 bn in direct medical costs

10-20% of over persons over the age of 65 have mild cognitive impairment that may develop into Alzheimer’s disease