GENEVA, December 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced a strategic collaboration with US ranked Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, to advance basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis (MS), with the goal of generating new and innovative discoveries that advance treatment for people living with this condition. The multi- faceted agreement will run for up to 5 years, with the potential to renew the alliance thereafter. Both parties decided not to disclose financial details.

We are extremely proud to announce this valuable collaboration with the renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital, says Dr. Bernhard Kirschbaum, Executive Vice President Research and Development at Merck Serono. As a global leader in the area of neurodegenerative diseases, we have an unwavering commitment to advancing research efforts in key therapeutic areas like MS where there is still the need for new and innovative treatments. Ultimately, we hope that this unique collaboration will generate new discoveries which will truly make a difference both for physicians in the clinic and in the way people living with MS approach their therapy.

The collaboration will focus on three key areas, each with the goal of identifying new and better ways to manage neurodegenerative conditions including MS:

- The first is to enhance an existing long-term, longitudinal, clinical assessment of people living with MS, based on the CLIMB study (Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham and Women's Hospital). Each patient in the study will be assessed over a period of 10 years; currently 800 patients are enrolled, with an expansion of this study to 2000 subjects underway. This longitudinal database will be analyzed to identify novel aspects of disease characteristics, treatment responses, and disease-modifying factors. The data gathered from this assessment of people living with MS over a long period of time may be useful in the generation of new clinical endpoints for future interventional trials. - The second goal of the collaboration is to identify MS-related biomarkers. These samples will be analyzed for the purposes of evaluating identified target biomarkers; exploring and validating new biomarkers; correlating biomarkers with clinical and MRI outcomes; and designing an interventional proof-of-concept study. - The third goal of the collaboration is to identify unique targets on resident cells of the central nervous system and assess their potential impact in neurodegenerative diseases including MS. These studies are important to better understand ways to achieve neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases.

Additional projects may be added to the scope of the collaboration on an ongoing basis.

This unique collaboration will create an unprecedented combination of expertise between Merck Serono, a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with marketed products to treat MS, as well as Brigham and Women's, a globally recognized hospital, academic, and research institution.

The strategic alliance with Merck Serono allows us to collaborate with a leading biopharmaceutical organization to strengthen our understanding of the disease pathology behind neurological diseases like MS, said Dr. Howard Weiner, Director of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center and Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

This agreement underscores Merck Serono's commitment to partnering with leading academic and medical institutions in an effort to drive forward late-stage research and early-stage clinical development in MS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately incorporated affiliates.

Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer (Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a), infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alpha), endocrine and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well as cardiometabolic diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R), bisoprolol), (Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in all markets.

With an annual RD expenditure of around EUR 1bn, Merck Serono is committed to growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of research and development in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

About Merck

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of EUR 7.6 billion in 2008, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately 33,000 employees in 60 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.

For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com or http://www.merck.de

SOURCE: Merck Serono

CONTACT: Merck Serono, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, MediaRelations: +41-22-414-3600