Lilly acquires new technology from Siemens for Alzheimer’s research

Lilly has announced the acquisition of a pair of investigational positron emission tomography (PET) tracers from Siemens Medical Solutions for use in Alzheimer's disease research.

These tracers will be utilised to image tau tangles in the brain, one of two known biomarkers of the disease, the presence of which has been shown to directly correlate to the severity of the condition.

Currently, there are no approved diagnostic products available to detect tau tangles in living subjects, with this technology thought to be a potentially useful means of identifying at-risk patients at an early stage and for tailoring their treatments accordingly.

Dr Jan Lundberg, executive vice-president for science and technology and president at Lilly Research Laboratories, said: "We are hopeful that this technology will both enhance our understanding of tau and its role in Alzheimer's disease, and contribute to the development of our anti-amyloid and anti-tau based therapies."

This comes after the company received European approval for the diagnostic radiopharmaceutical product Amyvid earlier this year, which is used in PET imaging procedures among patients being screened for conditions such as Alzheimer's.