USAMRMC awards additional $2.5 million, and company retains ability to use results to develop drugs.
Lexicon Genetics research program to identify targets for development of drugs to prevent or treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been extended for an additional year by the United States Army Medical Research & Materiel Command. Lexicon will receive $2.5 million for the one-year extension. The initial award was $2 million.
“We believe our target discovery system uniquely positions us to find genes that may be relevant to the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy and other neurodegenerative diseases,” asserts Brian P. Zambrowicz, Ph.D., executive vp of research.
Lexicon also has an agreement with the SMA Foundation for the potential development of drugs based the results of this program.The SMA Foundation estimates that there are currently over 50,000 people suffering from SMA in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.