Regulus Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company focused on medicines targeting microRNAs, has entered into a collaboration with Biogen Idec to identify microRNAs as biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Biogen Idec will make an investment in Regulus in addition to upfront and milestone payments. The key objective of the collaboration is to identify microRNA biomarkers in the blood of patients with MS. Regulus believes that microRNA biomarkers may be used to select optimal patient segments in clinical trials, to develop companion diagnostics and to monitor disease progression or relapse.

"Utilizing innovative technology such as biomarkers can help us make more informed decisions earlier in clinical development and is key to our overall company strategy to enhance early-stage discovery efforts," said Steven Holtzman, executive vice president of corporate development, Biogen Idec. "We're excited to collaborate with Regulus to seek to identify biomarkers in MS patients, and are hopeful it can speed the work we're doing to bring new, effective treatments to market for patients with MS."