Eli Lilly and Company has announced an arrangement to partner with Roche Diagnostics on its ongoing development of a commercially scalable cerebrospinal fluid assay for amyloid-beta 1-42.

Together with tau tangles, the presence of amyloid in the brain is a key marker of Alzheimer's disease, a condition with no cure that is estimated to impact more than 7.4 million Americans by 2025. Improving the ability of practicing clinicians to detect evidence of amyloid is an important step in being able to effectively manage the disease. Currently, healthcare providers can find evidence of amyloid in the living brain through two methods: a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test and an amyloid brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

Under this non-exclusive agreement, Lilly is responsible for certain milestone payments upon successful completion of key development objectives. Roche is responsible for the development, registration, and commercialization of the new test.

"We are excited to partner with Roche Diagnostics on this important test," said Ms Phyllis Ferrell, vice president of Lilly's Alzheimer's disease platform. "We share the same commitment to providing people with Alzheimer's disease the best care possible, which includes detection as well as diagnosis and education."