TREATING PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The Company has developed cell and in vitro assays that have been shown to model Lewy body formation and aggregation in the brain of PD patients. Furthermore, in conjunction with its collaborators, the Company has identified a series of peptide inhibitors of the α-synuclein oligomerization process.

These peptides have been shown to inhibit α-synuclein oligomerization in three independent assays of protein aggregation. Delivery of these peptides to pesticide-treated neuroblastoma cells blocks the formation of intracellular α-synuclein containing inclusions and enhances long-term neuronal survival.

The above described work provides clear proof that the selected peptides are potent inhibitors of α-synuclein oligomerization. These peptides are highly efficacious and block formation of α-synuclein containing intracellular inclusions in a cell-based model of PD. The Company intends to develop these peptides and/or analogs thereof as drug candidates for the treatment of PD and other Lewy body-associated diseases.