Myriad Signs $54 Million Agreement With Bayer

Myriad Genetics, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, has signed aresearch collaboration deal with German drugs major Bayer which will focus on the discovery of gene targets and the development of new therapeutics to treat dementia and depression.

Under the terms of the agreement, which extends an existing deal started in 1995 focusing on research into asthma, obesity and osteoporosis, Myriad will receive up to $54 million in research and milestone payments.

Bayer becomes the first pharmaceutical company to gain access to Myriad's extensive compilation of families in Utah and its ProNet database, which the US firm claims will eventually contain information on all of the approximately 80,000-100,000 proteins in the human body and their biochemical pathways.