New resources detail positive impact of
aducanumab pivotal trial results and recent progress of
ProMIS pipeline programs
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, Oct. 24,
2019 /CNW/ - 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
issued a memorandum, compiled by its Executive Chairman of the
Board, that provides context for the company's recent program
progress as well as a white paper analysis of Biogen's October 22, 2019 decision to submit its
amyloid-beta (Aβ)-targeting drug candidate, aducanumab for
Alzheimer's disease (AD) to the U.S. Food and Drug administration
(FDA) in early 2020. The new resources detail how each development
demonstrates strong momentum across the company's preclinical
programs.
On October 22, 2019, Biogen
announced that the conclusions from aducanumab's interim analysis
for futility, disclosed on March 21,
2019, were incorrect. Biogen also announced that
analysis of additional trial data now indicates that aducanumab is
effective in patients with longer term, high-dose exposure, and
that they plan to file a marketing application with FDA early next
year.
"We believe that over the coming months there will be a greater
recognition of the likelihood that Biogen's aducanumab will be the
first ever approved disease modifying therapy in Alzheimer's,
although with a modest clinical benefit," said Eugene Williams, Executive Chairman,
ProMIS Neurosciences. "It will
change the thinking about amyloid generally, and more people will
understand the growing body of scientific literature showing that
the toxic oligomer of amyloid is the critical target.
Selectivity for the toxic oligomer, as demonstrated
preclinically with ProMIS' candidate antibody therapeutic PMN310,
will increasingly be recognized as a critical differentiator, the
basis of 'best in class'. Those expectations could be
very positive for ProMIS."
In October 2019, the company
announced significant progress on several of its antibody programs
demonstrating the unique ability of its drug discovery and
development platform to rapidly and cost-effectively
discover, predict and validate antibody candidates that are highly
selective for neurotoxic misfolded proteins. Each of these
programs, briefly updated below, is the object of ongoing
partnering discussions with several large pharmaceutical
companies.
- Parkinson's disease (PD) and Multiple System Atrophy
(MSA)—preclinical in vitro studies, announced October 8, indicate that antibody candidates
targeting toxic forms of alpha-synuclein, a root cause of PD and
MSA, bind strongly to toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates derived from
MSA-affected brain. The antibodies also protect cultured neurons
from alpha-synuclein toxicity and spreading
(propagation).
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia
(FTD)—new data, announced October 22,
show several antibody candidates demonstrate selectivity for toxic,
misfolded intracellular aggregates of TDP-43, a root cause of ALS
and FTD, with no binding to normal TDP-43 located in the cell
nucleus.
- Alzheimer's disease—new data, announced October 17, show several antibody candidates bind
toxic forms of tau, a protein that can misfold and play a major
role in disease progression. The antibodies also inhibit
propagation of neurotoxic tau in a cellular model.
For access to the Chairman's Update please click on:
http://bit.ly/ProMIS102319
The white paper is available by clicking on:
http://bit.ly/ProMISWP102319
To learn more about the role of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's
disease including evidence implicating the toxic oligomer, tune
into Saving Minds, at iTunes or Spotify.
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, follow us
on Twitter and LinkedIn.
The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This
information release contains certain forward-looking information.
Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from those implied by
statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be
read as guarantees of future performance or results. All
forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current
beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently
available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and
uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by
the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may
differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims
any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/promis-neurosciences-issues-chairmans-update-memorandum-and-white-paper-on-alzheimers-disease-300944480.html
SOURCE ProMIS Neurosciences Inc.