Prana Commences Research Collaboration with Takeda for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Gastrointestinal
Neuropathology
PBT434, Prana’s lead drug in preclinical development for movement disorders, to be profiled in collaborative
venture
Prana Biotechnology Ltd (ASX:PBT)(NASDAQ:PRAN) today announced a research collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals
International, Inc. to study the ability of Prana’s investigational movement disorders compound, PBT434, to slow or prevent
neurodegeneration of the gastrointestinal system.
One of the important non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease is often the early presentation of severe and disabling
impairment of gastrointestinal function. Parkinson’s disease is characterised by the loss of neurons and their networks in the
brain and in the gut. The cause of neurodegeneration and gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease is not known, but the
protein alpha-synuclein has been hypothesized to be implicated in this process.
Prana recently announced the publication of results with PBT434 demonstrating significant reduction of alpha-synuclein in
various pre-clinical models of Parkinson’s disease in the paper entitled, “The novel compound PBT434 prevents iron-mediated
neurodegeneration and alpha-synuclein toxicity in multiple models of Parkinson’s disease” in the peer reviewed journal Acta
Neuropathologica Communications *. This paper suggested that PBT434 may reduce the formation of toxic alpha-synuclein fibrils and
aggregates, rescue neurons burdened by such toxic forms of alpha-synuclein and restore motor function in animal models.
The research collaboration will investigate the ability of investigational compound PBT434 to mitigate gastrointestinal
dysfunction; constipation, lowered colon motility and inflammation in mouse models, including an alpha-synuclein transgenic
mouse.
Associate Professor David Finkelstein, Prana’s Senior Scientific Consultant and Head of the Parkinson’s Disease Laboratory at
the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (Melbourne), said: “This early research is important because our major
therapeutic objective is to treat these disabling symptoms and provide an early therapeutic intervention for both motor and
non-motor Parkinsonian symptoms in patients which may significantly impact on the quality of life.”
PBT434 is the first of a new generation of small molecules from the quinazolinone class of drugs that was specifically designed
to block the accumulation and aggregation of alpha-synuclein and is expected to begin human testing in a Phase 1 trial later this
year.
*The peer reviewed article can be accessed from: https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40478-017-0456-2
About Prana Biotechnology Limited
Prana Biotechnology was established to commercialise research into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease,
Huntington disease, and Parkinsonian disease. The Company was incorporated in 1997 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in
March 2000 and listed on NASDAQ in September 2002. Researchers at prominent international institutions including The University of
Melbourne, The Mental Health Research Institute (Melbourne) and Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard
Medical School, contributed to the discovery of Prana’s technology.
For further information please visit the Company’s web site at www.pranabio.com.
for Prana Biotechnology
Investor Relations
WE Buchan
Rebecca Wilson, +61 3 9866 4722
rwilson@buchanwe.com.au
or
Media
WE Buchan
Scott Newstead, +61 3 9866 4722
snewstead@buchanwe.com.au
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