BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cerveau Technologies Inc. today announced an agreement with the KU Leuven university in Belgium to support multiple projects over the next several years. These research projects are for studies of an early stage imaging agent (MK-6240) to be used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans for assessing the status and progression of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain. NFTs made up of aggregated tau protein are a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

As part of the agreement, Cerveau will contract with KU Leuven to manufacture and supply the [18F]MK-6240 needed for initiatives in the Belgium area.

According to Professor Koen Van Laere from the Nuclear Medicine Division at KU Leuven “We have conducted the first-in-man studies with this highly specific tau imaging compound MK-6240 that allows imaging and quantification of the spread of tau pathology in the living human brain using positron emission tomography-PET. From these initial studies it was already clear that this compound offers unique possibilities to selectively measure tau deposition and its consequences. It is of high interest in various brain disorders that may even go beyond Alzheimer’s disease, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury. We want to investigate how we can use MK-6240 to predict and monitor disease disability and help develop new drug treatments.”

“Cerveau welcomes this opportunity to continue working with the KU Leuven researchers to understand the application of MK-6240 and how it may benefit patients with brain diseases. The collaboration with KU Leuven will provide access to our pharmaceutical partners in support of various therapy trials and support our global production network in Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and the United States as well facilitate novel research at KU Leuven in the pursuit of evaluating potential preventive treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Rick Hiatt, President and CEO of Cerveau Technologies, Inc.

About KU Leuven and Leuven University Hospital

KU Leuven is an institution for research and education with international appeal. All programmes at this University are based on the innovative research of its scientists and professors. Specifically, KU Leuven and Leuven University Hospital aim to introduce innovative approaches into cutting edge patient care and have strongly invested in state-of-the-art radiotracer production facilities and multimodal PET scanners. KU Leuven ranks among the best 50 universities worldwide and leads the Reuters ranking of Europe’s most innovative universities.

About Cerveau Technologies, Inc.

Cerveau Technologies, Inc. is a partnership between Enigma Biomedical Group, Inc. and Sinotau Pharmaceutical Group. Cerveau's vision is to globally develop diagnostics and technology that positively impact patients with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease.