Scottish gene control specialist Synpromics Ltd has entered into a collaborative agreement with University College London (UCL) to develop a gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the company announced on Tuesday.

The pair will work to create an array of synthetic, novel gene promoters for the central nervous system (CNS), with the aim of generating a gene therapy.

The gene promoters can theoretically specifically control the expression of therapeutic genes in different sub-populations of neurones. UCL hopes that they can be used to advance a gene therapy-based approach for the treatment of young-onset Parkinson's disease.

Commenting on the news, Dr Michael Roberts, founder and chief scientific officer of Synpromics, stated: "Tightly controlling the therapeutic gene is an essential element in the development of any successful gene therapy and Synpromics' technology offers the best means to achieve that control.

"This collaboration will allow the company to develop a gene therapy approach for a largely unmet clinical need, where tight gene control is an absolute requirement. It also gives us the opportunity to work with UCL, one of the few world-leading institutions actively developing novel gene-based therapies."