Axxam SpA receives funding for the development of compounds for prevention and treatment of disability in Multiple Sclerosis
Axxam SpA andFast Forward LLC, a not-for-profit organization established by the U.S. National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, entered into an agreement to fund Axxam SpA research in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Under the terms of this agreement, Axxam will screen its extensive chemical library to develop small molecules that target the chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) expressed by activated microglia. This approach will provide the pharmacological tools for the validation of an innovative and attractive target belonging to the ion channel class, CLIC1, intended to modulate glial cell activity, which could form the basis for the development of new treatments for MS, as well as for other relevant neurodegenerative diseases.
The award from Fast Forward and Merck Serono provides Axxam SpA with funding over a period of 12 months, and is distributed from the Accelerating Commercial Development Fund, which is allocated to for-profit entities and is designed to accelerate the development of research discoveries into new or improved therapies for people with multiple sclerosis.