MELBOURNE,
Australia , April
21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alterity Therapeutics (ASX: ATH,
NASDAQ: ATHE) ("Alterity" or "the Company") today announced an oral
presentation of expanded animal data to support the
commercialisation of its lead compound ATH434 in clinical
development for the treatment of Parkinsonian disorders, at the
American Academy of Neurology (AAN) virtual annual meeting.
The AAN conference, held this week, is the world's preeminent
clinical and scientific conference in the neurology space.
The presentation titled ATH434 Preserves Dopaminergic Neurons,
Reduces α-synuclein Oligomerization, and Improves Motor Function in
a Transgenic Murine Multiple System Atrophy Model
[1] will be delivered on 21st April.
The data to be presented further strengthens the evidence that
ATH434 is neuroprotective in brain regions implicated in
Parkinsonian disorders. The data, from an animal model of
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), independently confirm and extend
previous findings demonstrating that ATH434 reduces α-synuclein
pathology, preserves neurons, and improves motor function.
The new data indicate that ATH434 preserves neurons not only in the
substantia nigra, a main area of pathology in Parkinson's disease,
but also in the striatum, a region of the brain that
integrates information from the cortex and substantia nigra to
achieve fine motor control. Impaired motor performance is a
cardinal symptom of Parkinsonian disorders.
Alterity's Chief Executive Officer, Dr David Stamler, said: "These new data are very
encouraging and provide a strong rationale for the
disease-modifying potential of ATH434."
The improvement in motor performance associated with ATH434 was
shown on a task that is specifically designed to assess
coordination and balance in animals. The establishment of a
clear correlation between the preservation of neurons and motor
performance with ATH434 is a significant advance and provides
important further data to support clinical development.
The study also showed that ATH434 led to reductions in glial
cell inclusions, comprised of aggregated α-synuclein, and in levels
of the toxic form of α-synuclein, both of which are pathological
features of MSA, Alterity's first clinical indication for
ATH434.
The study was conducted independently in the laboratory of Dr.
Nadia Stefanova, Professor of
Translational Neurodegeneration Research at the Medical University
of Innsbruck, and builds on extensive prior experience with animal
models of Parkinson's disease and MSA from this prestigious
research centre.
Dr Stamler continued: "We are pleased to see the exceptional
work of Dr. Stefanova's team presented at this year's AAN
Conference."
[1] Authors: Antonio
Heras-Garvin1, Violetta
Refolo1, Margaret Bradbury2, David
Stamler3, Nadia Stefanova1
|
Authorization & Additional information
This announcement was authorized by David
Stamler,
CEO of Alterity Therapeutics Limited.
About Alterity Therapeutics Limited and ATH434
Alterity's lead candidate, ATH434 (formerly PBT434), is the
first of a new generation of small molecules designed to inhibit
the aggregation of pathological proteins implicated in
neurodegeneration. ATH434 has been shown to reduce abnormal
accumulation of α-synuclein and tau proteins in animal models of
disease by redistributing labile iron in the brain. In this way, it
has potential to treat Parkinson's disease and atypical forms of
Parkinsonism such as Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Progressive
Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
ATH434 has been granted Orphan designation for the treatment of
MSA by the US FDA and the European Commission.
For further information please visit the Company's website at www.alteritytherapeutics.com.
About Multiple System Atrophy
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a rare and rapidly progressive
neurological disorder affecting adults. It has no known cause. In
addition to presenting with motor symptoms like those in
Parkinson's disease, individuals with MSA may also experience loss
of ability to coordinate voluntary movements and impaired
regulation of involuntary body functions such as blood pressure,
bowel and bladder control. Most of these symptoms are not addressed
by available drugs for patients with Parkinson's disease. As the
condition progresses, daily activities become increasingly
difficult and complications such as increased difficulty
swallowing, vocal cord paralysis, progressive immobility, and poor
balance become more prominent. Symptoms tend to appear after age 50
and rapidly advance, leading to profound disability.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company has
tried to identify such forward-looking statements by use of such
words as "expects," "intends," "hopes," "anticipates," "believes,"
"could," "may," "evidences" and "estimates," and other similar
expressions, but these words are not the exclusive means of
identifying such statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements
are described in the sections titled "Risk Factors" in the
Company's filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 20-F as well as reports on Form 6-K, including, but
not limited to the following: statements relating to the Company's
drug development program, including, but not limited to the
initiation, progress and outcomes of clinical trials of the
Company's drug development program, including, but not limited to,
ATH434, and any other statements that are not historical facts.
Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not
limited to, those risks and uncertainties relating to the
difficulties or delays in financing, development, testing,
regulatory approval, production and marketing of the Company's drug
components, including, but not limited to, ATH434, uncertainties
relating to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
on the company's business, operations and employees, the ability of
the Company to procure additional future sources of financing,
unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy
of the Company's drug compounds, including, but not limited to,
ATH434, that could slow or prevent products coming to market, the
uncertainty of patent protection for the Company's intellectual
property or trade secrets, including, but not limited to, the
intellectual property relating to ATH434.
Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press
release is based only on information currently available to us and
speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement,
whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time,
whether as a result of new information, future developments or
otherwise.
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SOURCE Alterity Therapeutics Limited