New cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers to monitor Parkinson's disease

KineMed Inc. presents data on the new use of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of microtubule-mediated neuronal transport for the monitoring of disease progression and the advancement of therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease, a debilitating neurological condition with considerable unmet need for new treatments.

“Currently, Parkinson's patients have access only to treatments that temporarily alleviate symptoms”

At the Michael J. Fox Foundation grant review meeting held on November 1, 2010 in New York, KineMed reported clinical data on the Company's discovery of a novel method for identifying and verifying biomarker candidates for Parkinson's disease in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This discovery was made possible by KineMed's proprietary isotopic labeling which reveals real-time deficits of microtubule-mediated neuronal transport.

KineMed has defined a completely new proprietary approach to the potential development of new therapies for Parkinson's disease. Groundbreaking work in pathway kinetics empowers KineMed's technique that measures the activity of proteins central to this disease.

Presenting on the occasion, Dr. Patrizia Fanara, Ph.D., KineMed's Director of Neurodegenerative Diseases, observed, "The ability to measure dynamic biological and biochemical processes occurring in Parkinson's disease by simply sampling CSF is a powerful translational medicine approach to answer crucial questions for researchers and clinicians. Our novel biomarker approach, if validated, could help to ensure that the right drugs are being delivered to the intended disease targets and that the desired biological and biochemical responses are being obtained, potentially streamlining the costly drug development process."

Biomarkers are a high-priority research area for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which in September launched a landmark $40-million clinical study, the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), to identify biomarkers of Parkinson's disease. PPMI has been designed to validate biomarker candidates once enough preliminary evidence has been gathered to show that they have potential to serve as consistent and reliable biomarkers of Parkinson's disease.

"Currently, Parkinson's patients have access only to treatments that temporarily alleviate symptoms," said Sohini Chowdhury, Vice President of Research Partnerships, MJFF. "If a biomarker is identified through PPMI, researchers will have a critical tool to use in the quest for disease-modifying therapies that can slow or stop the progression of the disease. We look forward to following the results of KineMed's work through the next stages of development, which will be key to vetting the potential of this approach to speed identification of biomarkers of PD."

David Fineman, KineMed Inc.'s CEO, further commented, "KineMed's new translational medicine insights into the fingerprints of brain chemistry and the nature of neurodegenerative disease have the potential to stratify the disease in early, mid, and late stage sufferers. This could provide patient-specific actionable information, as well as peace of mind for patients and caregivers alike, and enable personalized medicine approaches to Parkinson's." KineMed is also working to make similar advances in Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), and Huntington's disease.