New platform of antibody drug conjugates to deliver potent cytoprotective drugs to sites of amyloidosis in brain and other organs
NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. (OTCBB: ILNS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-modifying therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases announces today the commencement of the initial development of its new CONJUMAB-A platform technology for a novel class of therapeutics for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other proteinopathies based on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Dr. Daniel G. Chain, the Company's Chairman and CEO and inventor of the CONJUMAB-A technology, will provide a brief description of the CONJUMAB-A technology during his presentation at BioInvestor Forum 2011 and in a video interview at the World ADC Summit, both taking place in San Francisco this week.
The new ADC- based technology has the potential to improve on current methods of passive immunotherapy by increasing clearance of amyloid proteins while delivering potent cytoprotective molecules to sites of damage in the brain and other organs. CONJUMAB-A is designed to reduce inflammation caused by amyloidosis while avoiding vasogenic edema, a side effect of plaque dissolution that occurs in some patients. The company's lead CONJUMAB-A candidate is IN-N01-OX2, a non-activating, stabilized IgG4 humanized antibody specific for beta amyloid protein conjugated to melatonin, which is a naturally occurring molecule with potent anti-oxidant and anti-fibrillogenic properties.
"We believe this exciting new approach may herald a new generation of promising drug candidates for the treatment of currently untreatable life-threatening diseases. CONJUMAB-A capitalizes on the tremendous advances already made in the area of ADCs for cancer which have generated a plethora of advanced enabling drug conjugation technologies and also uses independent approaches," said Daniel Chain, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Intellect Neurosciences and inventor of the CONJUMAB-A technology. "While CONJUMAB-A is still at the earliest stage of development and requires substantial work before new drug candidates can be tested in human clinical trials, we are very optimistic regarding its potential, and look forward to reporting our progress as soon as possible."
Intellect's new platform may also have applications for in vivo imaging of amyloid, which may be useful for diagnosis of disease and monitoring of drug effectiveness. The Company has applied for a patent for its CONJUMAB-A technology. Intellect has the exclusively license to certain patents granted by the USPTO to NYU School of Medicine and the University of South Alabama Research Foundation specifically covering the use of melatonin for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other types of amyloidosis. The CONJUMAB-A platform is applicable to a broad range of diseases including, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Cerebral Angiopathy, Frontotemporal Dementia, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Pick's disease, Cortical Basal Degeneration and Peripheral Amyloidosis.
About Intellect Neurosciences, Inc.
Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. develops innovative approaches aimed at arresting or preventing Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases especially focused on proteinopathies. Intellect's pipeline includes small neuroprotective molecules and neoepitope-based immunotherapy approaches including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines targeting beta amyloid and abnormal tau proteins. Previously, Intellect Neurosciences out-licensed late-stage antibody products based on the company's ANTISENILIN® Alzheimer's beta amyloid monoclonal antibody technology to several major pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the company recently licensed OX1 a small molecule antioxidant to ViroPharma Incorporated for Friedreich's Ataxia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, the company is focused on developing next generation antibody therapeutics. Its most advanced internal candidate is IN-N01-OX2, a humanized monoclonal antibody drug conjugate that has potential applications to treat Alzheimer's disease, Early-Onset Familial Alzheimer's disease, cerebral angiopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and traumatic brain injury. In addition, IN-N01-OX2 has potential applications for in vivo imaging of beta amyloid in the brain. The company's RECALL-VAX technology is a proprietary Alzheimer's vaccine with therapeutic and prophylactic potential.
Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
The statements in this release and oral statements made by representatives of Intellect relating to matters that are not historical facts (including, without limitation, those regarding future performance or financial results, the timing or potential outcomes of research collaborations or clinical trials, any market that might develop for any of Intellect's product candidates and the sufficiency of Intellect's cash and other capital resources) are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the likelihood that actual performance or results could materially differ, that future research will prove successful, the likelihood that any product in the research pipeline will receive regulatory approval in the United States or abroad, or Intellect's ability to fund such efforts with or without partners. Intellect undertakes no obligation to update any of these statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date hereof. Accordingly, any forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the additional risks and uncertainties detailed in Intellect's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Intellect's Annual Report on Form 10-K (file no. 333-128226), filed on October 13, 2011.
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SOURCE Intellect Neurosciences, Inc.