4 Transforming the Drug Development Landscape
Alpha-synuclein : Major Deal Pushes Vaccine Further in Testing
A long-watched Parkinson ’ s vaccine is advancing in testing after a major deal between two biotech companies — both of which received early-stage funding from MJFF — puts more resources behind the program .
The therapy prompts the body ’ s natural immune response to neutralize alpha-synuclein by using a synthetic protein to elicit antibodies ( like how the flu vaccine works ). Alpha-synuclein is a key Parkinson ’ s protein known to form harmful clumps in the cells of people with the disease , similar to beta amyloid in Alzheimer ’ s .
With MJFF support , Austrian biotech AFFiRiS AG launched the earliest trials of the vaccine in 2012 . The work took a significant step forward in 2021 as Swiss biotech
AC Immune acquired the AFFiRiS portfolio in a deal valued at $ 59 million . AC Immune is preparing to launch a Phase II human study of its now-optimized vaccine .
This hand-off ( from a smaller company to a larger one with deeper pockets ) is a textbook example of the Foundation ’ s “ de-risking strategy .” MJFF supports early , risky projects to help drugmakers build data and attract partners that can usher the most promising therapies through larger , more expensive later-stage trials . The Foundation wears multiple hats in de-risking : financially supporting early-stage projects , orchestrating troubleshooting and follow-on work to keep promising science moving forward , sharing open-access data to
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