Elixir Pharma and Siena Biotech in Huntington's accord

US firm Elixir Pharmaceuticals and Siena Biotech of Italy have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the optimization, validation and evaluation of the former's SIRT1 inhibitors in Huntington's disease, a hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is no effective treatment or cure at present.

SIRT1 is a member of the Sirtuin class of protein deacetylase enzymes. It is the human equivalent of Sir2, a gene identified in yeast that plays a key role in the control of lifespan, metabolism, resistance to stress and other cellular regulatory pathways. Elixir has developed expertise and a broad intellectual property portfolio of more than 20 Sirtuin patents and patent applications which include coverage of small-molecule SIRT1 inhibitors and activators, while Siena has developed over the years internal technological platforms and expertise in advanced research on Huntington's disease and optimization of targeted small molecules against neurodegenerative disorders.

Under the terms of the deal, Elixir will provide its SIRT1 small-molecule inhibitors and access to related know-how to Siena, which may modify these using its medicinal chemistry and profiling capabilities to evaluate them. If optimized or second-generation compounds are produced from Siena's research, Elixir will screen the compounds through its assays to evaluate their degree of SIRT1 specificity. Elixir will own the rights to the new compounds for use in all disease areas, excluding neurodegenerative diseases, for which Siena will have the right to obtain an exclusive license. Further terms of the accord were not disclosed.