30/08/23 - Argenica Therapeutics, a Western Australian-based biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics to reduce brain tissue death after stroke and other brain injuries has announced new preclinical research findings showing possible benefits for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s is the accumulation of aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in neurons. This neural protein plays a role in the transfer of information between neuronal cells and in the immune response in non-neuronal cells.
The data is from the laboratories of Argenica’s Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Bruno Meloni (UWA and Head of Stroke Laboratory Research at WA’s Perron Institute) and Associate Professor Ryan Anderton from The University of Notre Dame.
“It confirms that ARG-007 (also known as R18D), the neuroprotective drug being developed by Argenica, reduces both cellular uptake and aggregation of α-syn, two critical components of the progression of Parkinson’s,” Professor Meloni said.
The study investigating cellular uptake in Parkinson’s was published in the journal Biomedicines and the lead author of the publication is Dr Anastazja Gorecki (The University of Notre Dame, UWA and Perron Institute), and the other authors are Ms Holly Spencer (University of Notre Dame), A/Professor Anderton, and Professor Meloni.
“Importantly, additional data recently generated also confirms a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of ARG-007 on α-syn aggregation,” Professor Meloni said. “The data demonstrated that as the dose level of ARG-007 increased, so too did the inhibitory effect on α-syn aggregation.
“The combination of both sets of data suggests that ARG-007 may also be beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease, as clinical data is beginning to emerge regarding the presence of α-syn pathology in patients with that disease.
“Together with data previously presented on the ability of ARG-007 to reduce aggregation of the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) associated with Alzheimer’s, this latest preclinical research is very promising.
“It strengthens the scientific hypothesis that ARG-007 may have broader neuroprotective therapeutic potential with possible application in a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”
Argenica’s Managing Director Dr Liz Dallimore said: “The scientific community understands that neurodegenerative diseases are extremely complex, and now we have shown that the aggregation and accumulation of several proteins in the brain appear to be important contributors.
“The ability of a therapy such as ARG-007 to work on a number of these protein aggregates is very important from a scientific perspective, and we look forward to progressing preclinical studies in this area further.”
Prof Bruno Meloni in the Perron Institute lab
Media contact:
Tennille Kroemer, Communications Manager, Perron Institute
M: 0426 044 223
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