Bayer Schering Pharma and the University of Nagasaki (Japan) have signed a licensing agreement on the use of novel substances for molecular imaging. Being used as tracers in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), these compounds could make it possible to allow an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

According to the agreement, Bayer Schering Pharma will receive exclusive worldwide rights to develop and market a set of radiolabel molecules.

"We are delighted to have Bayer Schering Pharma as a strong partner for our research and development in the field of molecular imaging," said Professor Morio Nakayama from the Division of Hygienic Chemistry and Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science. "This cooperation demonstrates the high quality scientific output of the university, and I believe this to be a result of the Organization for Industry, University, and Government Cooperations, which was established after the university was incorporated. I hope the university's efforts with the developed molecular imaging agents contribute to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease."

"It is our pleasure to cooperate with Nagasaki University, which has advanced technological skills. This agreement further supports our long-standing commitment to develop innovative substances for precise and early diagnosis of diseases on the molecular level, and it enhances our existing project portfolio in the field of molecular imaging for Alzheimer's disease," explained Prof Dr Hans Maier, head of Diagnostic Imaging at Bayer Schering Pharma.

Tracers labelled with fluorine-18 (F18), a short-lived radioisotope, are used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This nuclear medicine imaging technique can be used, for example, to produce images of molecular processes involved in diseases of the central nervous system. For instance, PET tracers bind specifically to amyloid beta, a pathological accumulation of protein in the brain that is causally associated with Alzheimer's disease. F18-labeled PET tracers could enable the detection of disease signs at a very early stage. This could expand the opportunities for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

In the field of molecular imaging, Bayer Schering Pharma's most advanced development project Bay 94-9172 has recently entered phase-II of clinical development.