TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA,
Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - ProMIS
Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology
company focused on the discovery and development of antibody
therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the
development of neurodegenerative diseases, has added Dr.
Andre Strydom to its scientific
advisory board (SAB). Dr. Strydom is a world-recognized expert in
ageing-related issues in Down syndrome and his research has
advanced understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Down syndrome
patients. His expertise and advocacy will help guide ProMIS
development plans relating to treatment of AD in Down syndrome.
"Dr. Strydom's research has been incredibly valuable to our
collective understanding of how Alzheimer's disease begins and
progresses," said Eugene Williams,
Executive Chairman of ProMIS Neurosciences. "We're honored to
welcome him to our SAB, which we believe is a collection of some of
the most accomplished researchers in neurodegenerative diseases and
believe his expertise will help us include this very special
patient population in our clinical studies, expediting and
improving study quality."
Born with an extra copy of chromosome 21 which carries the gene
for the amyloid precursor protein, Down syndrome patients show
significantly increased amyloid in the brain and are at increased
risk of developing Alzheimer's early in their lifetime. Dr. Strydom
has dedicated his research and academic career to advancing our
body of knowledge in support of efforts to develop effective
therapies for AD in Down syndrome. He is a professor in the
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's
College London, and Honorary Consultant psychiatrist, South London and the Maudsley NHS Trust. His
current projects and collaborations include the LonDownS
consortium, funded by the Wellcome Trust/ MRC, to study the
neurobiology of Alzheimer's Disease in Down syndrome. This work
concerns detailed cognitive assessment of individuals with Down
syndrome across their lifespan to track changes with ageing, as
well as collecting DNA, blood and cellular samples for genetic and
experimental studies to understand the underlying factors that may
influence variation in age of onset of symptoms. His research in
Down syndrome includes investigation of biomarkers of cognitive
decline including those related to excess amyloid production,
oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration. His group also conducts
neuroimaging studies using high-density EEG, MRI and fNIRS. He has
been an investigator on clinical trials of new drug treatment
options in Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome and autism.
"The combination of new biomarkers, improved disease
understanding and potential medicines that are highly selective for
the toxic, misfolded form of amyloid beta make this an incredibly
exciting time in Alzheimer's disease therapy development," said
Professor Andre Strydom. "I'm
extremely pleased to join ProMIS' SAB and look forward to
collaborating with this group of highly accomplished leaders as we
take aim at these diseases that remain without effective
therapies."
ProMIS' SAB members are highly published and cited contributors
to current scientific understanding of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
disease, ALS, other neurodegenerative diseases and protein
misfolding diseases in general. Current members include:
- Neil R. Cashman, M.D is Chief
Science Officer at ProMIS Neurosciences and Professor of Medicine
at the University of British Columbia
(UBC), where he holds the Canada Research Chair in
Neurodegeneration and Protein Misfolding Diseases and serves as the
Director of the UBC ALS Centre. Dr. Cashman is recognized as a
pioneer in the field of prion-like misfolded proteins and their
role in development of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular
ALS and AD. Neil Cashman is co-chair
of the SAB;
- Sharon Cohen, M.D is a trained
behavioral neurologist and former speech language pathologist. Her
memory clinic and dementia clinical trials program at the Toronto
Memory Programme are the largest and most active in Canada and have contributed substantially to
patient care and to global clinical trial cohorts. Through her
commitment to knowledge translation and her passion for clinically
meaningful outcomes, Dr. Cohen provides a valuable perspective
which places the patient at the center of Alzheimer's drug
development programs.
- Todd E. Golde, M.D, Ph.D is
Director of the Center for Translational Research in
Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of
Florida where he directs a robust program of scientific
discovery aimed at translating basic discoveries in
neurodegenerative disease into diagnostics and treatments for
patients. Dr. Golde is co-chair of the SAB;
- William C. Mobley, M.D, Ph.D is
Associate Dean for Neurosciences Initiatives, Distinguished
Professor of Neurosciences, Florence Riford Chair for Alzheimer
Disease at the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD), and the university's Executive Director of the
Down Syndrome Center for Research and Treatment. Dr. Mobley's
research focuses on the neurobiology of neuronal dysfunction in
developmental and age-related disorders of the nervous system.
- C. Warren Olanow, M.D. is the
past Henry P. and Georgette Goldschmidt Professor and Chairman of
the Department of Neurology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
in New York City, and present
Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology and in the
Department of Neuroscience.
- Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD., is a
neuroscientist and geneticist with scientific expertise in
Alzheimer's disease and brain health. He serves as Vice-Chair of
Neurology, Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, and as
a Director of the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health
at Massachusetts General Hospital. He
is also the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at
Harvard Medical School.
- Lary C. Walker, Ph.D is Associate
Professor of Neurology and Research Professor at Emory University Yerkes National Primate Research
Center. Dr. Walker's research has been
directed toward understanding the mechanisms by which the
Alzheimer-associated proteins amyloid beta and tau form pathogenic
assemblies in vivo and how these agents spread in the brain;
Selectively targeting the toxic oligomer for treatment of
neurodegenerative diseases
Misfolded proteins are a known
root cause of neurodegenerative diseases. When proteins misfold,
they may form toxic oligomers that are deadly to neurons and spread
(propagate) through the brain leading to disease. Using its novel
drug discovery engine, ProMIS can uniquely and selectively target
the toxic oligomer, filling a critical gap for drug developers:
traditional approaches to developing antibodies are unable to
isolate and target the toxic oligomer with adequate precision. The
company's Alzheimer's disease program includes two antibody
candidates that offer dual targeting of the toxic oligomers of tau
and amyloid beta, currently one of the most promising areas of
therapy development in Alzheimer's disease. ProMIS' Parkinson's
disease program includes several potential antibody therapeutic
candidates aimed at selectively targeting misfolded, toxic
oligomers of the protein α-synuclein, considered a root cause of
PD. ProMIS has also identified antibody candidates that selectively
target toxic oligomers of the protein TDP43, considered a root
cause of ALS.
About ProMIS Neurosciences
ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc.
is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering
and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic
oligomers implicated in the development and progression of
neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD),
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
The Company's proprietary target discovery platform is based on the
use of two complementary thermodynamic, computational discovery
engines -ProMIS and Collective Coordinates – to predict novel
targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface
of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision approach, the
Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and
PD. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto,
Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on
the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB
Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.
Visit us at www.promisneurosciences.com or follow us
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