Bristol-Myers links with Vanderbilt for Parkinson's research

US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) has signed up for a collaboration with Vanderbilt University for the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies acting on the mGluR4 glutamate receptor, known as positive allosteric modulators or PAMs, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Under the accord, the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD) will identify drug candidates from its existing program, which obtained major support from The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). B-MS will have the right to develop and commercialize products resulting from the collaborative research program.

Vanderbilt University will receive an undisclosed upfront payment from B-MS and multi-year research funding to continue to discover additional compounds. Vanderbilt is eligible to receive milestones and royalties based on developmental success and worldwide sales of the drugs emerging from the collaboration.