Boehringer renews collaboration with Autifony

UK-based Autifony Therapeutics, which is pioneering the development of novel pharmaceutical treatments for serious nervous system disorders, including schizophrenia, hearing loss, Fragile X syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, today announced a new collaboration with family-owned German pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim.

The companies first entered into a collaboration in late 2017, when Boehringer gained rights to Autifony’s voltage gated potassium channel modulator platform, in a deal that could have been worth 627 million euros ($756 million at current exchange rates) to the British firm. However, in August last year, Boehringer decided not to exercise its option on the Kv3 program. Autifony was formed in 2011 as a spin-out from GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK).

Under the new agreement, Autifony and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Research Beyond Borders team will investigate a novel ion channel target involved in the function of cellular lysosomes. The new program aims to discover and develop first-in-class modulators of these channels which have the potential to treat a range of indications, including Parkinson’s disease and other disorders linked to lysosomal dysfunction.