To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE


SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

Breakthrough Treatment on Horizon for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease

News Release : Apr 22, 2014  Journal of Molecular Biology

GAIM molecules can not only prevent the formation of new toxic protein aggregates but can also clear existing aggregates in the form of both soluble oligomers and insoluble fibers, such as plaques and tangles.

GAIM(Cambridge, MA)-Researchers from NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have engineered a series of molecules with the potential to treat most neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by misfolded proteins, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. These molecules are based on what the Company calls a general amyloid interaction motif, or GAIM, which recognizes a characteristic common to many toxic, misfolded proteins, not just one type of misfolded protein. This approach provides NeuroPhage with an array of therapeutic targets, so that a number of pathologies, such as amyloid beta plaques, tau tangles and alpha-synuclein Lewy bodies, can all be addressed simultaneously with a single drug candidate. In addition, the Company has shown that the GAIM molecules can not only prevent the formation of new toxic protein aggregates but can also clear existing aggregates in the form of both soluble oligomers and insoluble fibers, such as plaques and tangles.

"The research published today describes GAIM, NeuroPhage's unique approach to treat diseases characterized by misfolded proteins. GAIM has the potential to provide a more robust response than previous therapies because it enables the simultaneous targeting of multiple pathologies within a single disease," said Dr. Richard Fisher, Chief Scientific Officer at NeuroPhage.

GAIMThis novel and revolutionary approach was published online in the Journal of Molecular Biology. The publication, "A bacteriophage capsid protein provides a general amyloid interaction motif (GAIM) that binds and remodels misfolded protein assemblies," was authored by Rajaraman Krishnan et al. For more information, Click Here.

"Symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases often appear well after the troublesome aggregates have begun to accumulate in the brain. By then, therapies that only target newly forming aggregates are likely to only slow the progression of the disease and are believed to be too late once the aggregates are formed," said Dr. Gregory A. Petsko, Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and Tauber Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Emeritus, at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

"Therapies based on GAIM would represent a completely new paradigm in the treatment of many neurodegenerative diseases with their potential to ameliorate existing symptoms and prevent disease progression. The hope is this will eventually lead to a real treatment for Alzheimer's disease, but for now, the science behind it is quite compelling."

GAIMResearchers used an array of techniques, including X-ray fiber diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, to demonstrate the activities of GAIM. They discovered that GAIM effectively binds to multiple types of misfolded proteins during their formation in such a way that prevents new toxic protein aggregates from forming. In addition, upon incubating GAIM with various misfolded proteins, the researchers observed that GAIM disrupted these assemblies of misfolded proteins by causing a conformational change in their structures. This structural change could enable the body's natural disposal mechanism to recognize and clear the misfolded proteins, which in theory, would enable the brain to return to a more normal state. The ability to destabilize pre-existing aggregates of multiple types of misfolded proteins is unique in the field.

The discovery of GAIM has led to the creation of NeuroPhage's lead candidate, NPT088, which is the GAIM motif fused to a portion of a human antibody. The result is a potential therapeutic that can be easily delivered to patients. NeuroPhage has accumulated extensive preclinical data on this candidate, demonstrating its efficacy across disease models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and related diseases characterized by aggregation of the tau protein. NeuroPhage expects that NPT088 will be ready for human studies in late 2015.

"With recent advances in imaging agents for beta-amyloid and tau in Alzheimer's disease, we believe we should be able to demonstrate clinical proof of mechanism in a Phase 1b study with NPT088," said Jonathan Solomon, CEO at NeuroPhage. "If successful, we would then have the opportunity to pursue many therapeutic options in several neurodegenerative diseases of protein aggregation."







SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News

Illegals Using Fake Skimmers at Self-Checkouts to Drain Consumers' Bank Accounts; Here's How to Guard Yourself

Elon Musk to Pay Embattled Doctor's Legal Fees after Speaking Out against COVID Lockdowns

Safety of Women Hangs in Balance after Oral Arguments on Abortion Pill Regulation

New Federal Gun Grab Law Would Criminalize Shooting Ranges, and Even Private Security

Treasury Sec. Yellen: Biden Has NO Plan to Save Social Security

Maryland Governor Says 'Keep on Praying' for Families of Missing Workers after Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Chick-fil-A Abandons Long-Held 'No Antibiotics' Pledge on Chicken

The War in Myanmar: Karenni Resistance Fighters Ask for Prayer and Practical Help

The World Is Facing a Major Population Crisis by 2075 If Birth Rates Keep Falling

FDA Admits COVID Vaccines Cause Seizures in Toddlers

'Hamas Is Celebrating' after US Abstains from UN Security Council Ceasefire Vote: Netanyahu Cancels Visit

Kamala Harris Won't Disclose Why Biden Campaign Is Active on TikTok Despite Security Worries

Special Counsel Report Reveals University of Delaware Misled Courts to Hide Biden's Senate Records That Likely Hold Sexual Assault Complaint Filed by Tara Reade

'Unthinkable Tragedy': Baltimore Bridge Collapses after Being Struck by Cargo Ship

Jews, Christians Celebrate Purim, Palm Sunday as Israel Fights for Victory over Hamas

Dan Bongino Emotionally Recounts Supernatural Experience the Morning His Mom Died: 'I've Never Believed More in the Power of Jesus'

Married People More Likely to Be 'Thriving': Gallup Survey

Planet Fitness Is Having a 'Bud Light' Moment

The Shocking Untold History of the Man Who Designed the 'Transgender Flag'

Moscow Concert Massacre: US Border Chief Very Concerned a Similar Attack Could Happen Here



Search the Articles Archives

Keyword:  
Author:  
Words Posted On:  
Day Month Year



BCN Plus

Follow BCN on Twitter
Are You Praying for Our Government Leaders?
BCN Staff

Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner


Aimee Herd
Aimee Herd, Editor


BCN Plus
Are You Praying for President Trump?
 
 

All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.


Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.

editor@breakingchristiannews.com