Luc Therapeutics licenses IP on depression treatment to Novartis

Privately-held US biotech firm Luc Therapeutics, until recently known as Mnemosyne, has entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX).

The collaboration will focus on accelerating development of Luc’s subtype selective NMDA receptor negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) for the treatment of depression.

“The Luc team is excited to work with Novartis on the advancement of our NR2B NAMs, discovered through our depth of expertise in the pharmacology of NMDA receptor modulation. These compounds have the potential to yield therapeutics that are able to improve the lives of patients with depression more profoundly than products that exist in the market today,” said Vanessa King, chief executive of Luc, adding: “This collaboration demonstrates that Luc’s proprietary NMDA receptor-focused medicinal chemistry and pharmacology capabilities are able to create assets worthy of being accelerated towards the clinic. And, we are pleased to have found a strong partner to bring our NR2B NAM program forward.”