Boehringer expands neurology activities

Since 2014, the partners have launched three preclinical research projects in COPD, neuroscience and innate immunity. The new project at BioMed X Innovation Center  will focus on identification and validation of novel targets or drugs for adolescents designed to normalise brain maturation and improve disease progression. Within the crowdsourcing project Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking novel mechanisms as well as in-vivo and in-vitro models to identify and validate potential new targets for early intervention in the development of  schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Schizophrenia has become one of Boehringer Ingelheim’s focus topics in the last few years. In 2016, the company inked deals with Saniona AB and Arena Pharmaceuticals. In 2018 the company decided to develop its former Alzheimer’s candidate BI409306 in schizophrenia and added Autifony Therapeutics’ schizophrenia candidate Aut00206 to its pipeline.

The BioMed X Innovation Center is recruits young researchers from all over the world to carry out industry-sponsored pre-clinical research projects in the fields of oncology, immunology, neuroscience, respiratory and diagnostics. After a fully funded project term, successful projects are internalised into the development pipeline of the respective pharma partner. BioMed X collaborates with pharma companies such as AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, Merck and Roche.