ProMIS Neurosciences to Present Data for Potential Best-in-Class Antibody Candidates for Parkinson's Disease at AD/PD™ 2019 Conference
Selected for podium presentation: novel antibody candidates bind only the toxic species of alpha-synuclein offering potential advantages over less selective therapies in development
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, March 19, 2019 /CNW/ - 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, will present data for new antibody candidates that show stringent selectivity for the toxic forms of alpha-synuclein, considered a root cause of Parkinson's disease. ProMIS Neurosciences' Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Neil Cashman will discuss the preclinical data at a podium presentation on March 31 as well as co-moderate the March 30 panel discussion on disease mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
In the March 31 presentation, "Targeting of Pathogenic Aggregated Alpha-Synuclein: Refining Antibody Epitopes by Design," Dr. Cashman will present data showing how the ProMIS novel drug discovery and development platform created antibodies that:
- Selectively bind to toxic forms of alpha-synuclein while sparing healthy forms of alpha-synuclein that are critical for proper cell metabolism and communication
- Block the neurotoxicity and the spread of the toxic forms of alpha-synuclein in vitro
"The ability to bind toxic forms and only the toxic forms of misfolded proteins in the brain has been a frustratingly elusive challenge in both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's drug development," explained Dr. Neil Cashman, a leading researcher in protein misfolding diseases. "This is largely because the toxic species of the affected proteins still share many similarities with the healthy forms of the protein, making them impossible to target with precision using traditional tools for developing antibodies. Using our unique discovery platform, we have been able to successfully address this problem. Our data show we can raise antibodies that bind the toxic species and only the toxic species of alpha-synuclein with exquisite precision while preserving the healthy forms of the protein."
Alpha-synuclein is an essential protein in the brain that can form toxic, misfolded clumps (aggregates), leading to progressive destruction of neurons in the brain. Two decades of research indicate that these toxic forms of alpha-synuclein are a root cause of Parkinson's disease and represent a major therapeutic target for drug development.
At the conference, Dr. Neil Cashman will also co-moderate the panel discussion, "Disease Mechanisms in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases," which will highlight efforts to deepen understanding of the detailed mechanisms involved in these diseases.
AD/PD 2019, the 14th International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases and related neurological disorders, takes place in Lisbon, Portugal from March 26-31, 2019. For more information or to register, please visit the AD/PD 2019 conference website.
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.
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