AbbVie gets rights to acquire Parkinson’s disease start-up Mitokinin

AbbVie is collaborating with the start-up Mitokinin on an early-stage small molecule for Parkinson’s disease. The compound targets the kinase PINK1 to increase its activity and help cells clear damaged mitochondria. AbbVie will pay Mitokinin an undisclosed amount to finish preclinical studies on the PINK1 activator and has the right to acquire the firm once the compound is ready for clinical trials. Mitokinin is based on the work of University of California, San Francisco, chemist Kevan Shokat and his former grad student Nicholas Hertz, who is now chief scientific officer of the start-up.