UCL and Eisai renew partnership to accelerate treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

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University College London (UCL) and Japanese pharma firm Eisai have signed a new agreement to extend their long-standing collaboration in drug discovery and development for five more years, taking the partnership through to 2030. This alliance reinforces a unique model built on trust, combining academic excellence with industry expertise to accelerate innovation in neuroscience drug discovery, investigating new ways of treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and other related disorders.

One of the most notable outcomes of the UCL–Eisai collaboration to date is the anti-MTBR tau antibody E2814, which was first discovered as part of collaborative research between the two organisations.  The antibody is currently being evaluated in the DIAN-TU Phase II/III Clinical trial for Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Disease (DIAD), as well as the Phase II clinical trial for sporadic early AD (Study 202).

In total, eight drug discovery projects focusing on a variety of therapeutic targets have been supported through a £10 million investment to date, with further investment committed over the next five years as part of the extension.

Over the next five years, the alliance will focus on:

• Moving promising collaborative projects through recognised stage gates of the drug development pathway
• Actively seeking and advancing high-potential drug discovery projects to tackle neurodegeneration
• Strengthening the neurodegeneration research talent pipeline by creating specialist scientist roles across joint projects
• Enabling researchers to publish and present findings to the wider scientific community, including at international conferences
• Sustaining close engagement at every level, from senior leadership to project scientists, across both organisations.