Caraway Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, announced an exclusive, collaboration and option agreement with AbbVie to develop and commercialize Caraway’s small molecule therapeutics targeting TMEM175, a potassium ion channel critical to lysosomal function implicated in both Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
TMEM175 has been previously shown to play a role in controlling lysosomal pH. Loss-of-function mutations in the TMEM175 gene are associated with lysosomal dysfunction, autophagy impairment and an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Under this collaboration, Caraway will continue to advance proprietary small molecule TMEM175 modulators, leveraging Caraway’s unique drug discovery platform and expertise in lysosomal biology and cellular clearance mechanisms, and combine with AbbVie’s expertise in disease biology, clinical development, and global commercialization.
Under the terms of the agreement, Caraway is eligible to receive up to $267 million in payments, including upfront ($17 million) and future option payments, and development milestones.
