Medtronic joins research alliance for Huntington’s disease

Medtronic is to collaborate with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and the not-for-profit organisation CHDI Foundation on the creation of a new treatment method for Huntington's disease.

The alliance is to focus on the development of ALN-HTT, a drug-device combination that delivers an RNAi therapeutic targeting the huntingtin gene via an implantable infusion system, which will be developed by Medtronic.

CHDI will initially fund up to 50 percent of the investigational new drug application-enabling activities, while Medtronic will take sole responsibility for the European development and commercialisation of the collaboratively-created therapy.

Pre-clinical studies into the new treatment method indicate that it could prove to be an effective and well-tolerated means of silencing the huntingtin gene, which is responsible for causing the neurodegenerative disorder.

Dr Gregory Stewart, director of central nervous system drug therapy research and development at Medtronic's neuromodulation business, said: "The ALN-HTT programme represents an exciting opportunity to combine innovative medicines with our drug delivery technology in an area of extreme unmet medical need."

Last month, Medtronic introduced the Kyphon Express Curette, a device for treating vertebral compression fractures.