The early-stage biotech Neuron23 and Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) will work together to develop the first next-generation sequencing (NGS) companion diagnostic for Neuron23’s leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitor for Parkinson’s disease NEU-723.
In the collaboration, Qiagen will focus on developing and validating a clinical trial assay to detect biomarkers that predict the responsiveness of Parkinson’s disease patients to an LRRK2 inhibitor.
The companion diagnostic is the first to be developed for Parkinson’s, according to Neuron23 CEO Nancy Stagliano. “Qiagen’s blood-based test will help to identify patients with Parkinson’s disease who are likely to respond to Neuron23’s LRRK2 inhibitor,” Stagliano said in a news release. “The development of a companion diagnostic identifying this sub-population of Parkinson’s disease patients will de-risk the clinical development of Neuron23’s LRRK2 inhibitor and help identify individuals who may benefit from this disease-…