Pico-Tesla : Alzheimer’s disease Study with University of South Florida (USF) Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute

Jan. 5, 2011 - Pico-Tesla starts pilot study of Magneceutical® Therapy for Alzheimer’s disease at University of South Florida (USF) Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute — Pico-Tesla, The Magneceutical® Company, announced that it has commenced a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of 30 patients who have Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. The pilot study seeks to determine whether the application of magnetic fields generated by Pico-Tesla’s patented Resonator™ system can be effective as an adjunctive therapy to oral medications in reducing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study will be coordinated by Amanda Grant Smith, M.D., Medical Director of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, University of South Florida (USF).

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Amanda Smith coordinating this important study that may help to explore the clinical potential of Magneceutical® Therapy for Alzheimer’s patients,” said Allen Braswell, CEO of Pico-Tesla.

Dr. Smith received her undergraduate degree from Emory University in 1992 and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1997. She did her internship, residency in psychiatry, and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Dr.
Smith is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with subspecialty certification in geriatric psychiatry. She is a member of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and a charter member of ISTAART, the International Society to Advance Alzheimer Research and Treatment... Pico-Tesla's Press Release -

BiOxyDyn Anatomical Connectivity Mapping (ACM) approach shows sensitivity to Alzheimer's disease

October 2010 - BiOxyDyn Anatomical Connectivity Mapping (ACM) approach shows sensitivity to Alzheimer's disease - Anatomical connectivity mapping, or ACM, is a technique that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect subtle alterations in the 'wiring pattern' of the brain that can occur in a range of diseases. Recent work performed by Dr Marco Bozzali and colleagues at the Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, in conjunction with researcher from the University of Manchester, shows that ACM is more sensitive to some of subtle the effects of Alzheimer's on the brain than more established MRI measurements. Importantly, Dr Bozzali's team also show that ACM measurements are related to the severity of patient's memory impairment with Alzheimer's disease. BiOxyDyn's Press Releases -

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals : $12.4M Series B round

March 1, 2011 - NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NeuroPhage), a privately held biotechnology company developing a protein disaggregation platform for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, announced that it has secured $12.4 million in Series B financing, which will be mostly directed to the IND-enabling activities in preparation of a Phase 1 clinical trial for NPT001, NeuroPhage’s lead product candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and include further work to expand the platform.

The round was led by Mérieux Développement and also included Shire LLC as a new investor. Existing investors reiterated their strong support in this Series B round, bringing the total amount of equity capital raised by NeuroPhage to $19.6 million since its inception in 2007... NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Curaxis Pharmaceutical : CEO Patrick S. Smith Comments on Recent Alzheimer's Association

Feb. 7, 2011 -- Patrick S. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Curaxis Pharmaceutical Corp. (OTCBB:CURX), commented on a new report by the Alzheimer's Association, titled "Generation Alzheimer's – the defining disease of the baby boomers", which demonstrates the devastating impact and size of Alzheimer's disease. Five million Americans have already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and that number may increase as the Baby Boomer generation turns 65 this year, according to the report.
Mr. Smith stated, "With 10 million baby boomers expected to either die with or from Alzheimer's, it is certainly time for Curaxis to take its place in providing a solution for this debilitating disease. We are looking to complete our evaluation of potential candidates and engage a Contract Research Organization for Curaxis' upcoming Phase IIB clinical trial in the near term. From a cost competitive standpoint, as well as the high demand for Alzheimer's clinical work, our market timing for the selection of a CRO could not be better."
The phase IIB clinical trial for Curaxis' lead Alzheimer's disease treatment, Memryte, is anticipated to launch in mid 2011. Memryte addresses the pathologies of Alzheimer's through multiple pathways, including beta-amyloid, tau phosphorylation, inflammation and aberrant cell cycling... Curaxis Pharmaceutical's Press Release -

Repligen Licenses Rights to Use of HDAC3 Inhibitors for Memory Disorders

January 20, 2011 - Study Published in The Journal of Neuroscience – Repligen Corporation (NASDAQ: RGEN) announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for a patent application covering the use of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) inhibitors for the treatment of disorders involving preservation or extinction of memory including Alzheimer’s disease, memory impairment and post traumatic stress disorder. The patent application is based on work conducted at UCI by Dr. Marcelo A. Wood, which demonstrated that one of Repligen’s HDAC3 inhibitors improved both the acquisition and persistence of long-term memory in an animal model. These data were published in the January 12th issue of The Journal of Neuroscience in a manuscript entitled “HDAC3 Is a Critical Negative Regulator of Long-Term Memory Formation” (McQuown, S., et al., J. Neurosci. (2011) 31:764 –774). Under the terms of the license agreement, UCI will receive an upfront payment, development milestones and royalties upon successful commercialization of an HDAC3 inhibitor for certain memory disorders. Upon issue, the patent will remain in force until 2031 prior to any regulatory extensions... [PDF] Repligen's Press Release -