London, November 19 2015: Imanova is pleased to collaborate with Teva Pharmaceuticals and University of London (UCL) on a study aimed at building a better understanding of the role of inflammation in neurodegenerative disease. Imanova will be providing structural and molecular brain imaging with key biomarkers at its state-of-the-art facility based in West London, with the study performed at the Dementia Research Centre (DRC) and University College London (UCL), led by Dr Mummery.
Imanova is a London-based translational research company and a world leader in Molecular Imaging technologies, specifically, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Using PET imaging, the Pilot Longitudinal Study in Alzheimer’s disease of Central Markers of Microglial Activation (PADMMA) will assess the prevalence and pattern of CNS microglial activation in individuals with prodromal AD with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild AD through the use of PET imaging.
The study conducted in 20 patients over 2 years, with 1 year for the recruitment period. The study duration for each participant is 12 months. It is being performed at the Dementia Research Centre (DRC) and University College London (UCL), led by Dr Cath Mummery, Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Lead at the DRC's Cognitive Disorders Clinic. All brain imaging will be performed at the Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, led by Dr Eugenii Rabiner, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Imaging Applications at Imanova.
Participants will only be recruited at a single site, University College London Hospital (UCL) and will come from the Dementia Research Centre cognitive clinics, from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) clinical research network (CRN) and from the UK Dementia Registry.
The role of inflammation is key in the field of neurodegeneration, resulting in some of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia play a central role in neuro-inflammation, and defining reliable biomarkers of microglial activation, and their changes over time, will provide crucial information for developing treatment trials with neuro-inflammation as a novel therapeutic target.
“The combination of cutting edge PET imaging of neuro-inflammatory targets, with a comprehensive clinical and biomarker profile, provides a powerful method for investigating disease mechanisms. New treatment options for patients can only come from a better understanding of the molecular processes underlying the disease” said Dr Eugenii Rabiner.
Established in 2011, Imanova is an innovative joint venture between the UK's Medical Research Council and three world-class London universities: Imperial College London, King’s College London and University College London.
“Imanova has always taken pride in acting as a conduit between industry and academia to facilitate a bilateral flow of information, allowing the knowledge of academics to be applied and benefit from the industry experience and vice versa. The PADMMA study is a great example of such collaboration and Imanova is excited to bring the knowledge and expertise of our academic partners to facilitate innovation within the industry” said Dr Kevin Cox, CEO at Imanova.
This unique study is the result of an extensive collaborative effort supported by the UK Israel Tech Hub at the British Embassy in Israel - helping Imanova, Teva and UCL, come together in an effort to change the paradigm in neurodegenerative disease. For more information on Imanova, visit www.imanova.co.uk.