Selected for podium presentation: novel
antibody candidates bind only the toxic species of alpha-synuclein
offering potential advantages over less selective therapies in
development
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, March
19, 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, will
present data for new antibody candidates that show stringent
selectivity for the toxic forms of alpha-synuclein, considered a
root cause of Parkinson's disease. ProMIS Neurosciences'
Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Neil
Cashman will discuss the preclinical data at a podium
presentation on March 31 as well as
co-moderate the March 30 panel
discussion on disease mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease and
Parkinson's disease.
In the March 31 presentation,
"Targeting of Pathogenic Aggregated Alpha-Synuclein: Refining
Antibody Epitopes by Design," Dr. Cashman will present data showing
how the ProMIS novel drug discovery and development platform
created antibodies that:
- Selectively bind to toxic forms of alpha-synuclein while
sparing healthy forms of alpha-synuclein that are critical for
proper cell metabolism and communication
- Block the neurotoxicity and the spread of the toxic forms of
alpha-synuclein in vitro
"The ability to bind toxic forms and only the toxic forms
of misfolded proteins in the brain has been a frustratingly elusive
challenge in both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's drug development,"
explained Dr. Neil Cashman, a
leading researcher in protein misfolding diseases. "This is largely
because the toxic species of the affected proteins still share many
similarities with the healthy forms of the protein, making them
impossible to target with precision using traditional tools for
developing antibodies. Using our unique discovery platform, we have
been able to successfully address this problem. Our data show we
can raise antibodies that bind the toxic species and only the toxic
species of alpha-synuclein with exquisite precision while
preserving the healthy forms of the protein."
Alpha-synuclein is an essential protein in the brain that can
form toxic, misfolded clumps (aggregates), leading to progressive
destruction of neurons in the brain. Two decades of research
indicate that these toxic forms of alpha-synuclein are a root cause
of Parkinson's disease and represent a major therapeutic target for
drug development.
At the conference, Dr. Neil
Cashman will also co-moderate the panel discussion, "Disease
Mechanisms in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases," which will
highlight efforts to deepen understanding of the detailed
mechanisms involved in these diseases.
AD/PD 2019, the 14th International Conference on
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases and related neurological
disorders, takes place in Lisbon,
Portugal from March 26-31,
2019. For more information or to register, please visit the
AD/PD 2019 conference website.
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
on Twitter and LinkedIn
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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
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any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
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SOURCE ProMIS Neurosciences Inc.