ProMIS Neurosciences advances Alzheimer's disease program targeting neurotoxic forms of tau
Oct 17, 2019, 07:30 ET
Data show antibody candidates bind toxic forms of tau
and inhibit its propagation in a cellular model
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, continues to further develop antibody candidates that have shown selectivity for the toxic forms of tau. New pre-clinical data show that these antibody candidates can block the spread of pathogenic tau aggregate formation in a cellular model. Continued advancement of ProMIS' dual approach for Alzheimer's disease, which also includes antibody PMN310 targeting the toxic oligomers of amyloid-beta, aligns with research indicating that both misfolded proteins play a major role in disease progression and represent highly validated targets for therapy.
ProMIS announced its tau program in May 2019 when it identified several novel antibody candidates that preferentially bind toxic forms of tau. Pre-clinical data now show that these candidates can block the formation of pathogenic tau aggregates in a cellular model. ProMIS leveraged its proprietary drug discovery and development platform to identify conformational epitopes on misfolded tau and generate, evaluate and advance tau antibody candidates, demonstrating the platform's capacity for producing high-quality antibody candidates rapidly and cost-effectively.
"The misfolded, toxic forms of tau and amyloid-beta are the two most validated targets in Alzheimer's therapy development," said Elliot Goldstein, MD, President and CEO of ProMIS Neurosciences. "While addressing Alzheimer's will require a multifactorial approach, selective targeting of misfolded, toxic forms of both tau and amyloid-beta remains one of the most promising therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease. We will continue to strengthen our programs, offering the critical one-two punch needed for a disease-modifying therapy, while simultaneously seeking ways to leverage emerging biomarkers to improve the success and speed of future clinical development."
To learn more about the search for therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, listen to the podcast, Saving Minds, at iTunes or Spotify.
About ProMIS Neurosciences
ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The Company's proprietary target discovery platform is based on the use of two complementary thermodynamic, computational discovery engines – ProMIS and Collective Coordinates – to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision approach, the Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and PD. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.
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SOURCE ProMIS Neurosciences Inc.
