AstraZeneca and Washington University In St. Louis : Alzheimer's Research Collaboration

April 17, 2008 — Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) have announced a research collaboration that aims to develop new and improved ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease.


The major focus of the alliance will be biomarkers, characteristic changes in the brain and spinal fluid, that physicians can use to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and track its response to treatment. “Alzheimer’s disease is already a huge public health problem that is increasing exponentially," says David M. Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the School of Medicine, and neurologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "To prevent this disease with new treatments that are currently on the horizon, we need better ways to diagnose the disease before people become cognitively impaired. We are pleased to be collaborating with AstraZeneca on this important initiative.”... AstraZeneca's Press Release -

Baxter : Study Results of GAMMAGARD S/D and GAMMAGARD LIQUID in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Announced

April 17, 2008 – New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) announced results of a sixmonth, placebo-controlled Phase II study of 24 patients treated with GAMMAGARD S/D and GAMMAGARD LIQUID [Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV)] for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Chicago. The study met the primary endpoint criteria favoring GAMMAGARD LIQUID and GAMMAGARD S/D over placebo on measures of cognitive function and global impression of change, which are common measures of outcome in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. The study also met secondary endpoints that measured changes in beta-amyloid and anti-amyloid antibody levels in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Results show findings indicative of potential efficacy and tolerability. Key findings throughout six months included: measurements of clinical outcome, behavioral outcome and cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s patients treated with GAMMAGARD S/D and GAMMAGARD LIQUID compared to placebo. Twelve-to-18 month data will be available later this year... [PDF] Baxter' Press Release -

Medivation : Dimebon Improves Significantly Thinking and Memory in Alzheimer's Disease Patients Over One Year

April 17, 2008 - Medivation, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDVN) announced that Alzheimer's patients treated with the investigational drug Dimebon(TM) showed improvement in the key aspects of cognitive function over a one-year period compared with placebo. The improvement occurred in not only memory and language, but also in more complex functions such as awareness of time and place, and praxis -- the process of getting an idea and initiating and completing a new motor task. These clinical results were generated during a pivotal trial of Dimebon in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD)... Medivation's Press Release -

Lexicon : Clinical Data for LX6171, a Drug Candidate for Cognitive Disorders

April 15, 2008 – Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), a leader in genomics-based drug discovery, presented data today describing the target of LX6171 and initial Phase 1 clinical results at the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago. LX6171 is an internally-developed compound under evaluation by the company as a potential treatment for cognitive disorders. LX6171, currently in Phase 2 clinical testing, is one of four programs in human clinical trials as part of Lexicon’s 10TO10 program...
...“LX6171 may have potential in a broad range of applications involving cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, attention disorders, and developmental disorders.”... Lexicon Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Intellect Neurosciences : ... Grant Requirements for Pivotal European Patent Related to Passive Immunization of Alzheimer’s Disease

April 11, 2008 - Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. Receives Notice of Allowance and Completes Grant Requirements for Pivotal European Patent Related to Passive Immunization of Alzheimer’s Disease

Intellect Neurosciences, Inc (OTCBB: ILNS),announced today that it has obtained a Notice of Allowance and completed the grant requirements to obtain a European patent relating to the Company’s ANTISENILIN® antibodies and products being developed by the Company for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease... Intellect Neurosciences' Press Release -

Allon at BIO Europe Partnering Meeting

April 8, 2008 — Allon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: NPC), presented at the BIO-Europe Spring 2008 partnership conference in Madrid, Spain sharing with prospective pharmaceutical partners the human efficacy data from the Company’s Phase IIa clinical trial in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Allon announced February 26, 2008 initial top-line data showing that the Company’s drug AL-108 had a positive impact on memory function in patients with aMCI. Statistically significant, dose dependent and durable improvement was measured in two key cognitive tests, delayed-match-to-sample (DMTS) and digit span, which are widely recognized and validated as effective measures of memory function relevant to Alzheimer’s disease... Allon's Press Release -

PerkinElmer : New Innovations to Strengthen Drug Discovery Product Portfolio

Latest AlphaLISA(TM) Immunoassay Kits Reduce Customers' Time, Labor and Materials; Enhance Research Efforts for Cancer, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, HIV, Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease
April 4, 2008--PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI), a global leader in Health Sciences and Photonics, announced the release of eight new AlphaLISA(TM) immunoassay kits in conjunction with the Society for Biomolecular Sciences' (SBS) 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition. These latest innovations include research reagents and assays for investigating HIV, cancer, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and diabetes(a).
AlphaLISA is a line of highly sensitive "No-Wash" immunoassay reagents offering a wide dynamic range and easy automation for analysis of biomarkers and other analytes. The technology allows researchers to replace multi-step, cumbersome ELISAs with a high throughput screening (HTS) platform, significantly reducing the time, labor and materials necessary for processing complex samples... PerkinElmer's Press Release -

Exelgen : Two New Major Drug Discovery Collaborations

April 02, 2008 - -Exelgen, Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. (CBI) (NASDAQ Capital Market:CBTE) and a leading provider of drug discovery chemistry services and small molecule products, announced that it has entered into two new drug discovery collaborations: one with a leading US pharmaceutical company and one with a major European pharmaceutical company. Given the proprietary nature of the collaborations both partners declined to be named. "With our new European partner, we have entered into a broad-based collaboration to discover and develop novel small-molecule therapeutics for use in the fields of CNS; Alzheimer's disease, neuro-inflammation and type-2 diabetes... [PDF] Commonwealth Biotechnologies' Press Release -

Satoris : Collaboration to Validate Early Alzheimer's Test

April 1, 2008 — Satoris, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company focused on developing blood-based tests for Alzheimer's disease, will shortly begin a collaborative study with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (Mayo Clinic) to validate the utility of plasma biomarkers for earl detection of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. These biomarkers may also predict the progression of patients from a state of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's. Satoris researchers first reported the utility of Alzheimer's�related biomarkers in the November, 2007 edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Nature Medicine. In the reported study, researchers analyzed 259 stored blood samples, comparing those from individuals with presymptomatic to late-stage Alzheimer's disease with those from individuals without the disease... Satoris' Press Release -

PHC Pioneer Behavioral Health : Phase I Alzheimer's Disease Trial to Date for Major National Sponsor

Apr 10, 2008 - PHC, Inc. (AMEX: PHC) d.b.a. Pioneer Behavioral Health, a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services and pharmaceutical research, reported that its Pivotal Research Centers has initiated its largest Phase I Alzheimer's Disease trial to date for a major national sponsor.

In collaboration with four prestigious neurologists, Pivotal has begun screening patients for the Phase I research effort, which is expected to have major implications for the treatment of Alzheimer patients... Pioneer Behavioral Health's Press Release -

Pharmathene : Recombinant Butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE) May Play A Neuroprotective Role in Alzheimer's Disease.

April 9, 2008 — PharmAthene, Inc. (Amex: PIP) a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats, announced that scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of PharmAthene’s collaboration partners, have recently obtained new data suggesting that recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE), a non-pegylated form of Protexia®, may have neuroprotective benefits.
Recent research conducted by Dr. Hermona Soreq and co-workers at the Alexander Silberman Life Sciences Institute at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with PharmAthene, examined the role of rBChE in the prevention of amyloid plaques, which are believed to play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease... [PDF] PharmAthene's Press Release -

QuantRx , FluoroPharma : Technology Platform to Include Agents for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

March 27, 2008 – QuantRx Biomedical Corporation, (OTCBB:QTXB), a broad-based diagnostics company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative diagnostic products based on its patented technology platforms for the worldwide healthcare industry, todayannounced that its molecular imaging group, FluoroPharma, Inc., a company developing breakthrough cardiovascular molecular imaging agents for the PET market, has entered into a license agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for the development and commercialization of agents for diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The licensed technologies, which were co-developed by FluoroPharma and MGH scientists, target multiple biological processes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no single diagnostic test that proves a person has Alzheimer’s. Development of new options for early detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s has the potential to improve patient care and create new paths for AD management for the more than 5 million Americans that suffer from dementia and other cognitive deficits as a result of AD... QuantRx Biomedical's Press Release - FluoroPharma's Press Release -

Memory Pharmaceuticals : Advance Development and Clinical Programs

March 12, 2008 - Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: MEMY) announced that it has realigned its operations, reallocated its resources and extended the preclinical research portion of its PDE10 collaboration with Amgen. The Company will focus its near-term and mid- term efforts on two partnered programs, its nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonist collaboration with Roche and the PDE10 collaboration with Amgen, and two proprietary programs, its PDE4 inhibitor and 5-HT6 antagonist programs...(...)
- 5-HT6 Antagonist Program. 5-HT6 antagonists are potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and obesity. Memory Pharmaceuticals has generated a portfolio of novel, potent and selective 5-HT6 antagonists and is evaluating several lead compounds as potential development candidates. The Company plans to advance the program into clinical trials by the end of 2008... Memory Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

EPIX Pharmaceuticals : Phase 2a Alzheimer's Data at Keystone Symposia

March 25, 2008--EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:EPIX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics through the use of its proprietary and highly efficient in silico drug discovery platform, today announced that Tom Megerian, M.D., Ph.D, executive director, clinical research of EPIX, is scheduled to present an oral presentation entitled "Results of a Phase 2A Study of a Novel 5HT4 Agonist for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease" at the Keystone Symposia Alzheimer's Disease Meeting in Keystone, Colorado on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. MDT.

EPIX previously announced the compelling results of a Phase 2a clinical trial of PRX-03140 as a single agent and in combination with Aricept(R) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Megerian's presentation will focus on these previously reported data.

PRX-03140 is part of EPIX's strategic partnership with GlaxoSmithKline... EPIX's Press Release -

Lilly : First Phase III Trial for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

March 31, 2008 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has announced the start of a Phase III clinical trial studying LY450139, an investigational gamma secretase inhibitor for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. LY450139 is being tested to see if it can slow the progression associated with Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting gamma-secretase, an enzyme that can create a sticky protein called amyloid beta. Current Alzheimer's disease theory is that subtypes of amyloid beta clump together into plaques that eventually kill off brain cells. By blocking gamma secretase, there is less amyloid beta formed, potentially slowing brain-cell death.

Slowing the rate of disease progression could preserve independent functioning and quality of life for Alzheimer's patients in the milder stages of the disease, potentially delaying the onset of the severe stages of the disease. Currently available treatments for Alzheimer's disease have no documented effect on amyloid beta. They provide modest improvements in symptoms but do not slow the underlying disease process.

The IDENTITY Trial - Interrupting Alzheimer's Dementia by EvaluatiNg Treatment of AmyloId PaThologY

IDENTITY is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will be conducted in the U.S. and 21 additional countries. As part of IDENTITY, 1,500 patients will be studied for 21 months, and an open-label extension will be available to all participants completing the study... Lilly's Press Release -