RESEARCH BACKS PRANA FOCUS ON AMYLOID BETA FOR ALZHEIMER’S
May 15th 2008 00:03
Tuesday May 13, 2008
Daily news on ASX-listed biotechnology companies
* ASX, BIOTECHS DOWN: LIVING CELL UP 20%; SUNSHINE HEART DOWN 18%
* RESEARCH BACKS PRANA FOCUS ON AMYLOID BETA FOR ALZHEIMER’S
* IAIN KIRKWOOD BUYS CIRCADIAN’S 12% OF METABOLIC FOR OTHER(S)
* ANZ POSTS SUBSTANTIAL NOTICES FOR PRIMA PHARMAUST
* ANZ SELLS NO BIOPROSPECT, SOLAGRAN OPES PRIME SHARES, AGAIN
THE MARKET
Thirteen of the Biotech Daily Top 40 stocks were up, 17 fell, eight were unchanged and two were untraded.
Living Cell was best, up five cents or 20.0 percent to 30 cents with 937,302 shares traded, followed by Mesoblast up 7.5 cents or 11.19 percent to 74.5 cents and Prana up three cents or 7.14 percent to 45 cents.
Sunshine Heart led the falls down 1.5 cents or 17.65 percent to seven cents followed by Tissue Therapies down 2.5 cents or 15.15 percent to 14 cents and Optiscan down three cents or 10.71 percent to 25 cents.
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PRANA BIOTECHNOLOGY
A research paper says platinum-based inhibitors of amyloid beta are potent therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease.
The research paper said the complexes were shown to bind to amyloid beta, inhibit neurotoxicity and rescue amyloid beta-induced synaptotoxicity in mouse brain slices.
The paper ‘Platinum-based inhibitors of amyloid-B as therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease’ was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US on line on May 7, 2008.
Lead author Prof Kevin Barnham and several other authors are consultants to Prana, which has licenced the platinum-based technology from the University of Melbourne.
Prana chief executive officer Geoffrey Kempler told Biotech Daily the platinum based technology targeted the amyloid beta component of Alzheimer’s disease, whereas the company’s lead drug PBT-2 targeted the metals causing damage through their attachment to the amyloid beta protein.
The abstract is available online at Really Long Link and says that the amyloid beta peptide “is a major causative agent responsible for Alzheimer's disease”.
“Amyloid beta contains a high affinity metal binding site that modulates peptide aggregation and toxicity,” the abstract says.
“Therefore, identifying molecules targeting this site represents a valid therapeutic strategy.
“To test this hypothesis, a range of L-PtCl2 (L = 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives [PtCl2 = platinum dichloro]) complexes were examined and shown to bind to amyloid beta, inhibit neurotoxicity and rescue amyloid beta-induced synaptotoxicity in mouse hippocampal slices.
Coordination of the complexes to amyloid beta altered the chemical properties of the peptide inhibiting amyloid formation and the generation of reactive oxygen species.
“In comparison, the classic anticancer drug cisplatin did not affect any of the biochemical and cellular effects of amyloid beta.
“This implies that the planar aromatic 1,10-phenanthroline ligands L confer some specificity for amyloid beta onto the platinum complexes.
“The potent effect of the L-PtCl2 complexes identifies this class of compounds as therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease,” the abstract said.
A Prana release to the ASX said its chemistry program was “building upon the structural template provided by these proof-of-concept compounds to create a library of novel drugs that are orally available”.
Prana said its lead anti-amyloid compound PBT-2 was designed to penetrate the brain and was able to reduce both amyloid beta and tau protein biomarkers in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease transgenic mouse models.
The company said PBT-2 had arrested the formation of covalently cross-linked oligomers of amyloid beta, a type of oligomeric amyloid beta that is a key Alzheimer’s disease target.
Prana said its development program had resulted in two complimentary drug development platforms, metal protein attenuating compounds (MPACs) which compete with amyloid beta by directly binding metal ions such as copper and zinc and “these anti-amyloid compounds which bind and block the actual metal binding site on [amyloid beta]”.
Mr Kempler said the publication confirmed the targeting of metal protein interactions.
He said it increased confidence in the value of PBT2 and the new class of drugs opened commercial opportunities to expand Prana’s drug pipeline.
Mr Kempler said Prana hoped to use the anti-amyloid strategy in the treatment of other amyloid indications including Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neurone diseases.
Prana climbed three cents or 7.14 percent to 45 cents.
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