Trophos Announces Conclusion of MitoTarget Consortium, Achieving Advanced Understanding of Neurodegenerative Diseases
The results obtained in this project included additional confirmation that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in neuron death, and therefore the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The MitoTarget project contributed towards broader research required to discover which dysfunction/s is the leading cause of neurodegenerative diseases, key to finding effective drug targets in the future. It also further confirmed that Trophos’ lead drug candidate olesoxime, currently in an ongoing pivotal trial for the orphan neuromuscular disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), targets mitochondria.
Various changes in mitochondrial function, distribution or number were found in all experimental models of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and even general aging. There were very promising results obtained in models of ALS, Huntington's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.
Evidence produced by MitoTarget also proved mitochondrial targeted drugs should provide a part of the therapeutic strategy of neurodegenerative diseases. Combination therapeutics will be essential to attack multiple aspects of the disease including both the causes and the symptoms.
Trophos and the consortium have already published many of their results and further publications are planned describing results of the basic research as well as the clinical trial in ALS to aid all parties involved in future research to work towards eradicating and curing diseases that include SMA, Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington’s Disease as well as ALS.
The three-year project was initiated in 2007 with the creation of the consortium, commencing the main part of the activity in 2009, and was funded by the EU. Advocates included the British theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA, and a patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Led by Trophos, the MitoTarget consortium consisted of 17 partners from four European countries (France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Belgium). Fourteen of the partners as well as a centre in Spain participated in the clinical trial element of the project and five basic research groups focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.
“Trophos has been deeply honored to have led the MitoTarget Consortium, which has made significant discoveries that will help future research into neurological diseases,” said Rebecca Pruss, MitoTarget project principle investigator and Trophos’ chief scientific officer. “The research section of the project made considerable progress that will greatly contribute to, and benefit future efforts to find therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s diseases, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases including Multiple Sclerosis.”
About Trophos SA – http://www.trophos.com
Trophos is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology. The company has a novel and proprietary cholesterol oxime based chemistry platform generating a pipeline of drug candidates. The lead product, olesoxime (TRO19622), is in a pivotal clinical study for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (substantially funded by the AFM patient association). Olesoxime is also ready for a phase 2 proof of concept study in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diseases progression. A second product, TRO40303, is in phase II clinical development to treat cardiac reperfusion injury (as part of an EU funded project, MitoCare). Trophos' mitochondrial pore modulator compounds enhance the function and survival of stressed cells via modulation of dysfunctional mitochondria through interactions at the permeability transition pore (mPTP). Recently published clinical studies support the therapeutic rationale for mitochondria targeted drugs, which Trophos is uniquely placed to exploit.
Trophos was founded in 1999, is based in Marseille, France and currently has 27 employees.
About the MitoTarget Consortium www.mitotarget.eu
The MitoTarget consortium was an EU funded consortium dedicated to finding therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
The consortium was led by Trophos, and contains the following partners:
• The Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology (INMED)
• The Sheffield Care and Research Centre for Motor Neuron Disorders, part of the Academic Neurology Unit, University of Sheffield
• The Department of Medical Genetics, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, The Institute of Pharmacology from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt (GUF)
• The ALS Reference Centre, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris La Pitié Salpêtrière
• The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the University Hospital Centre of Nice
• Charité Medical School, the Centre for Neurological Medicine, part of the Hannover Medical School
• The Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - the Division of Experimental Neurology
• The Neurology Clinic of the University of Halle-Wittenberg
• Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille - The reference centre for the Motor-Neurone Diseases of Lille
• The Neurology Center at the University of Ulm
• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges - Department of Neurology of the University Hospital Dupuytren
• Hospices Civils de Lyon - The Department of Neurology of the University Hospital Pierre Wertheimer
The MitoTarget project was supported by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme for RTD - Project MitoTarget - Grant Agreement HEALTH-F2-2008-223388.
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