Published on February 24, 2010 at 6:55 AM
QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease
(AD), announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,625,942, a
"Method of Treating Down Syndrome" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office. The '942 patent covers use of Posiphen and analogs to treat
cognitive impairments associated with Down Syndrome (DS). This patent
valuably expands upon the original Posiphen and analog patent that
claims composition of matter and use of compounds to lower amyloid-β
precursor protein (APP) and thereby treat dementia and Alzheimer’s
disease (AD).
Posiphen, a small orally active compound, has been shown in cell
cultures as well as in normal, transgenic (model of AD) and trisomic
(model of DS) mice to reduce the synthesis of APP which is cleaved into
a number of toxic peptides, including amyloid-β42 (Aβ42).
These peptides, independent of each other, attack multiple pathways of
neuronal cell life inducing dysfunction, neuronal cell death and
inflammation and leading to cognitive impairment.
The chromosome triplicated in DS (chromosome 21 in humans) contains the
APP gene, and hence levels of APP are 50% elevated in DS compared to
healthy normal people. Indeed, individuals with DS start developing
degenerative changes that impair cognitive function in their mid
thirties compared to normal people where equivalent changes are seen
much later, as in the development of AD.
Trisomic mice treated with Posiphen show preservation of specific brain
regions that consistently degenerate without treatment. Posiphen can
normalize APP levels and preserve neuronal cells which opens a window
for hope in DS, a condition for which there is no available treatment.
“The more we learn about Posiphen the more we see how it interferes with
a basic pathway that leads to dementia in DS, AD and likely other
conditions, such as head trauma and stroke. Posiphen is presently in a
clinical trial in AD patients and we are very hopeful to see the
results,” said Maria Maccecchini, CEO of QR Pharma.
Source QR Pharma, Inc.
8c539f15-3478-4fb5-809d-e3b55fca4d19|0|.0
Posted in: Medical Procedure News | Medical Condition News | Medical Patent News
Tags: Brain, Cell, Chromosome, Chromosome 21, Cognitive Function, Dementia, Down Syndrome, Head Trauma, Protein, Stroke, Trauma