Affiris GmbH has secured another Europe-wide patent for an innovative method of treating Alzheimer's disease. This new blood-cleansing method is similar to dialysis and is designed to reduce the amount of harmful protein deposits in the brain. It is based on the AFFITOME technology established by Affiris, which was patented in October 2007 for an Alzheimer's vaccine.
The use of this technology to cleanse the blood underlines the leading international role that Affiris plays in the development of innovative Alzheimer's treatments, a role that has been underpinned financially by investment from the German company MIG-Fonds.
Affiris GmbH, which is based in Vienna, Austria, today announced that it has been granted a Europe-wide patent for a new method of reducing the amount of harmful protein deposits (beta-amyloid) in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. A key feature of this method is the cleansing of the patient¹s blood (apheresis). This enables the targeted removal of the proteins that cause the accumulation of deposits in the brain, and therefore the onset of the disease.
Dr. Walter Schmidt, CEO of Affiris GmbH, comments on the importance of the patent: "Affiris already has its first proprietary vaccine for the treatment of Alzheimer's in clinical testing and a second is set to follow later this year. Our apheresis is an alternative approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's and complements our vaccine strategy. We have therefore successfully advanced our business plans for this indication and we will now harness the potential of AFFITOME technology for the development of further therapies. In accordance with our corporate strategy, we will focus on medical needs that have not yet been adequately addressed but offer significant market potential, such as Alzheimer's or Atherosclerosis."
The recently patented process involves fixing receptor molecules onto a carrier material and using them to bind the beta-amyloid that can lead to the formation of plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The fixed receptor molecules from Affiris, which can help reduce the amount of beta-amyloid present in the blood (serum), can be deployed during hemodialysis.