CAMBRIDGE, MA, April 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals announced that it will present an ALS Association hosted Research Webinar, today at 4 PM EDT. Dr. Glenn Larsen, President & CEO, and Dr. Benjamin Wolozin, CSO, will discuss their work in a presentation entitled “New Therapeutic Approaches for ALS Based on RNA Binding Proteins”.
Aquinnah’s technology platform represents an innovative approach that targets pathological protein complexes found in the brain of the majority of patients with ALS. The accumulation of these disease-linked protein complexes are believed to drive the progression of ALS. Aquinnah has designed its newly identified compounds to slow or reverse the progression of ALS by attacking and breaking down these protein complexes, with the goal of swiftly moving a new and effective class of ALS drugs into clinical development.
Currently there is no cure or effective treatment for slowing the progression of ALS, a lethal neurodegenerative disease that quickly stifles nerve cell function, leading to loss of muscle control throughout the body. ALS can progress rapidly, with more than half of newly diagnosed patients not surviving beyond three years.
In 2015, Aquinnah received grants from four peer-reviewed organizations, including funding from the ALS Association (ALSA), US National Institute of Health – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. In addition, Aquinnah also received an investment of $5 Million from Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
“We are pleased to report on our progress enabled by support from the ALSA”, said Glenn Larsen, Ph.D., President, CEO and co-founder of Aquinnah. “Our research and development efforts are progressing well and we expect that our approach will potentially treat the majority of patients with ALS, not just a small subset of patients with the disease. “Aquinnah’s approach is unique by integrating human genetic, human pathology and cellular biology R&D expertise, towards the development of a new therapeutic drug”, said Ben Wolozin, M.D., Ph.D., and co-founder of Aquinnah. “Our approach has unveiled novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention that are believed to be able to halt the progression, or even reduce aspects of neurodegenerative diseases that were previously thought to be irreversible. We expect these approaches to extend beyond ALS, including other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), where similar pathologic proteins accumulate.”
Additional information regarding Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals and Registration for the ALSA Webinar can be found at https://alsa.webex.com/alsa/ldr.php?RCID=c1a8012dfcfaa589e492b475ed265f58.
About Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals
Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals is using newly discovered brain pathology to design innovative therapies to slow the progression of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. Aquinnah builds on the groundbreaking work of co- founder Benjamin Wolozin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, Neurology and the Program in Neuroscience at Boston University, who has led the discovery of disease-linked protein aggregation in neurologic diseases. Additional information about Aquinnah is available through its corporate website, www.aquinnahpharmaceuticals.com
Aquinnah Contacts – news@aquinnahpharma.com
About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is a national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships. The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about the ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.