Kogenix Licenses Gene Therapy for Prevention of Age-Related Dementia and Alzheimer's

BOSTON, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In a paper published today in Nature's Molecular Psychiatry (https://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2017211a.html), scientists from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute showed for the first time cognitive improvements in old animals that were treated at younger age with secreted alpha Klotho (s-KL) gene therapy. These study results are very encouraging in light of the projections by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of 131 million people with dementia worldwide (Alzheimer's disease or related) by 2050 if research can't find a solution soon.

Boston-based Kogenix Therapeutics, Inc. licensed the patent-pending technology used in the research. "We are excited to transition our work from academia to industry," said co-author of the paper and Kogenix co-founder Dr. Miguel Chillon, Director of the Vector Production Unit and Senior Researcher at UAB and Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies. "My laboratory in Barcelona will continue to serve as a resource for Kogenix while the company uses a virtual model during its early days," he added. Alternate Klotho therapeutic approaches pursued in the industry are based on small molecules that enhance the expression of the gene and/or the use of fragments of the Klotho protein itself.

"In research and clinical trials performed by academia and industry, adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) have been shown to be safe and effective in the implementation of central nervous system gene therapy," said co-author of the paper and Kogenix co-founder Dr. Assumpcio Bosch, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UAB. "Gene therapy's time has come. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took historic action on Aug. 30, 2017, making the first gene therapy available in the U.S. Additional FDA approvals are expected."

"The novel s-KL gene therapy study described in today's paper brings us one step closer to making prevention of age-related dementia and Alzheimer's disease a reality," said Dr. Carmela Abraham, Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Kogenix co-founder. Abraham's laboratory was the first to study the Klotho gene in normal aging of the brain, more than a decade ago, and the ensuing research there continues to confirm the therapeutic potential of Klotho in Alzheimer's.

About Kogenix Therapeutics Inc.

Kogenix Therapeutics, Inc. is an early stage company focused on Klotho gene therapy in treatment of debilitating diseases.

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