US biopharma AbbVie has signed a deal with UK drug discovery and development group Mission Therapeutics to develop specific deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Both neurological disorders are associated with the accumulation of misfolded, toxic proteins, which are believed to cause impaired function and kill nerve cells in the brain. DUBs play an important role in keeping cells healthy by regulating the degradation of these proteins and preventing their accumulation. AbbVie and Mission are aiming to modulate specific DUBs within the brain and develop potential therapeutics.

An estimated 50 million people were living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in 2017, while there are now more than 10 million people worldwide with Parkinson’s.There are currently no treatments to stop or reverse either disease’s progression, only to alleviate the symptoms.

“There is an urgent need for new treatments that will make a positive impact on the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” said James Summers, vice president, neuroscience discovery research at AbbVie. “Mission’s scientists have developed impressive early research toward the understanding of these diseases. Together, we will work to advance this early science and develop meaningful therapies.”

The companies have not disclosed financial terms, but AbbVie will pay an upfront license fee to Mission, which is also eligible to receive success-based milestone and royalty payments for each product that is commercialized.

Both parties will collaborate during the research stage to identify specific DUBs and discover suitable compounds. AbbVie will then have the option to gain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize DUB inhibitors against up to four selected targets.

The collaboration does not include any of Mission’s lead DUB programs, including USP30 and USP10.