The “NEUROCURE PROJECT” A Spanish Joint Venture to Develop a Pharmacological Target in Dementia of Lewy Bodies
A joint venture founded by three Spanish Biotechnology companies headquartered in Barcelona, Oryzon genomics, Advancell in vitro technologies and Crystax Pharmaceuticals, has embarked on a three years program to evaluate the potential of a new pharmacological target for the Dementia of Lewy Bodies (DLB). The joint venture will collaborate with Laboratorios ESTEVE, the second biggest Spanish pharma, with the final goal to come up with a clinical candidate and looking for a partner to complete development. The project has been additionally co-funded by an especial grant from the Catalan Government and received the award for the most innovative joint venture project in 2004 in Barcelona.
(PRWEB) April 7, 2005 -- In the developed world, the progressive aging of
populations is producing a steady increase in senile dementias. Most of them
will be diagnosed as Alzheimer disease (AD), but there are also other less well
known dementias with high frequency and prevalence. This is the case of the
Dementia of Lewy Bodies (DLB) which is, after AD, the second more frequent in
the elder. In 1996, scientists published guidelines for the diagnosis of
dementia with Lewy bodies (McKeith IG, et al, Neurology, vol 47, pp 1113-1114,
Nov 1996). In various autopsy studies performed throughout the world, this form
of dementia, referred to as DLB, has been observed to represent 15-25% of all
cases.
The cause of this neurodegenerative disease is uncertain. DLB has
some similarities with Parkinsons disease (PD) but with widespread cortical
pathological states, leading to dementia, fluctuating cognition, and
characteristic visual hallucinations. The deposition of aggregates of synuclein
in neurons and glia suggests that a common pathogenic mechanism may exist for
these disorders. However, DLB has some distinguishing clinical features of its
own. Genetic studies are making some progress in revealing a matrix of different
genes which may contribute to development of DLB. This appears to be complex but
may explain firstly the mentioned relationship of DLB to the other primary Lewy
body disorders including Parkinson's disease and secondly the association with
Alzheimer's disease. It remains to be seen whether genetic testing will be
sufficiently simple to help in clinical diagnosis.
Unfortunately, so far
there is no efficient therapy and nowadays treatment is ONLY SYMPTOMATIC, often
involving the use of medication to control the parkinsonian and psychiatric
symptoms. One of the key hystopathological hallmarks of PARKINSON (PD) and
Dementia of Lewy Bodies is the accumulation of LEWY bodies, insoluble
proteinaceous deposits. Their composition varies but they always contain:
Ubiquitin, Ubiquinated proteins and Alpha-synnuclein. A malfunction of the
ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS) may be associated with their formation.
Either, it may reflect an unsuccessful attempt by the cell to remove
them.
Oryzon genomics started in early 2004 a prospective genomic program
using customized DNA-chips to identify early biomarkers in synucleinopathies in
collaboration with the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona. One of
the possible candidates was noticed to have reduced expression in brains of
patients suffering form dementia compared to controls and that the target was
also involved in the dynamics of the agressome. Due to other previously reported
observations linking this target to PD, and possibly to AD, the idea of further
explore the potential of this pharmacological target for the Dementia of Lewy
Bodies was considered.
Upon these bases, a joint venture named The
“NEUROCURE PROJECT” was set-up with Advancell In vitro-cell technology, a
Catalan start-up specialized in vitro human cellular systems responsible for
setting-up HT in vitro assays for the target and to explore the functional and
toxicological effects of the compounds to be developed.
The third
partner of the triad was CrystaX, a successful start-up company working in the
field of structure-based drug discovery, where they perform processes ranging
from gene cloning to the 3D structure elucidation of pharmacological targets.
CrystaX uses the latest techniques in X Rays diffraction. Then, using virtual
and fragment screening, CrystaX identifies new lead compounds for the
development of novel pharmaceutical compounds.
A fourth company joined
the project later: LABORATORIOS ESTEVE, the second largest Spanish
pharmaceutical company, and with special interest in CNS indications, which will
provide its library of compounds to be screened. The final goal for the joint
venture and ESTEVE is to identify a clinical candidate and looking for a partner
to complete development.
Including the academic researchers and the four
companies, an interdisciplinary team of almost 20 scientists will spend the next
three years in a collaborative project to identify pharmacological leads
compounds able to stop or reduce the progression of the disease. The “NEUROCURE
PROJECT” will also have access to the robotic scientific platforms of the
Barcelona Science Park
This is one of the first big alliances announced
between Catalan biotechs and a Big Spanish pharma and will hopefully started a
new way of producing bigger and more integrated projects in the Spanish drug
discovery arena. The project has been patronized by the Industry Departament
from Generalitat de Catalunya, (SIE-Projected Consorciats).
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb225640.htm