Aptuit, Inc. and Siena Biotech entered into a strategic partnership under which Siena Biotech will take a minority stake in Aptuit’s operations in Verona, Italy and Aptuit will serve as Siena’s provider of choice for its development pipeline. The two companies will work collaboratively on the development of Siena’s pipeline of compounds focused on Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and oncology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We are delighted to strengthen our existing relationship with Siena Biotech, which will be a valuable partner as we expand our presence, particularly in the Italian marketplace,” said Timothy C. Tyson, chairman and chief executive officer at Aptuit. “Siena Biotech’s commitment is an important validation of the capabilities and expertise gained via our recent acquisition of the Verona Medicines Research Centre from GlaxoSmithKline.”

Aptuit recently acquired GlaxoSmithKline’s research center in Verona, extending its drug development capabilities in drug discovery, lead optimization, API development and manufacturing, and preclinical and clinical drug development.

“The effective integration of disciplines and technologies, from target discovery to clinical proof of concept studies, is essential for the development of new medicines at Siena Biotech. Aptuit has technologies, processes and skills that are complementary to those of Siena Biotech and represents the ideal partner for us as we advance our drug candidates through development for a host of neurodegenerative and oncologic diseases,” commented Giovanni Gaviraghi, chief executive officer of Siena Biotech and former R&D director at GSK’s research center.