20/05/2004
ReGen Therapeutics Plc (‘ReGen’ or ‘the Company’) today presented further findings from its ongoing work to identify the mode of action of ColostrininTM, its potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease at the 14th Alzheimer Europe Conference in Prague, Czech Republic.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Marian Kruzel, the Company’s Chief Scientific Consultant*, said ‘These two separate in vitro studies are very appealing. The first shows that ColostrininTM can prevent the aggregation of beta amyloid** – a toxic protein that builds up in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers. The second shows that it can block the proliferation and promote the differentiation of primary cells into neuronal cells***- the loss of neuronal cells or their inability to regenerate being another disease feature’.
Dr Kruzel added: ‘In addition to our previous finding that ColostrininTM can also reduce the impact of reactive oxygen species – another contributory factor to the disease, these results may help to explain the clinical benefits of ColostrininTM. We are now projecting further research to see if these activities occur in animal models of Alzheimer’s.’ ReGen is particularly encouraged by the results of this research according to Chairman Percy Lomax who commented that ‘This work, conducted as part of our ongoing collaborations with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston continues to add to our understanding of how ColostrininTM may work and will, we believe, further strengthen the Company’s position in its future dealings with potential development partners.’
* Professor Marian Kruzel is a faculty member of the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, the University of Texas, Medical School at Houston. He is an internationally recognized immunologist with an established interest and expertise in inflammation and age-related pathophysiology. He is the recipient of numerous grants and a participant in NIH funded projects. Also, he serves as a reviewer on several scientific journals, including Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Biology etters, and Journal of Experimental Therapeutics and Oncology. He is a former chairman of the board of the Cancer Coalition of America.
Through a consultancy agreement with the Company Prof. Kruzel is responsible to the Board for scientific research and development and management of the scientific aspects of future clinical development on behalf of the Company.
** This research has been conducted as part of ReGen’s ongoing collaboration with the Roswell Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA and has been performed by Drs Thamarapu Srikrishnan and Thomas Nicotera.
***This research has been conducted as part of ReGen’s ngoing collaboration with the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA and has been performed by Dr Istvan Boldogh at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
For further information, please contact:
Andrew Marshall
Marshall Robinson Roe
Tel No 020 7960 6007
NOTES TO EDITORS
Background
ReGen’s principal activity is the development of a potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and also the development of neutraceutical uses for ColostrininTM.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative and ultimately fatal disease that slowly destroys the brain. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include progressive impairment of cognitive function including memory loss, inability to think abstractly, loss of language function, attention deficit and associated depression, anxiety and agitation. Eventually Alzheimer’s disease sufferers lose the ability to take care of themselves and must be looked after either by family or in residential care homes and hospitals. Ultimately, sufferers become less resistant to infections and other illnesses, which often become the actual cause of death.
In a 30 week clinical study it was shown that:
Approximately 40% of patients on ColostrininTM were stabilised or improved after 15 weeks of therapy, based on an Analysis of Overall Response 33% of patients continued to show stabilisation or improvement after 30 weeks of treatment, although levels of benefit were slightly higher at the 15-week stage of the trial
Efficacy demonstrated in both mild and moderate symptom groups, with greatest effects seen in earlier stages of the disease
No drug-related Serious Adverse Events or safety concerns were observed during the trial. The Company is now continuing its ColostrininTM development programme, in preparation for the next stage of clinical testing. The programme will now also include an investigation into whether the beneficial effects of the product can be further enhanced by varying the dosing regimen.
Colostrinin Abstract 1 (117KB PDF)
Colostrinin Abstract 2 (242KB PDF)