Laser Effectively Controls Antigens for 10 Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Lab

Learn about the benefits of lasers in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Jackson Center, Pennsylvania-based Halberd Corporation announced that it used its technology platform to successfully eliminate glutamate from cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). This now means Halberd has demonstrated it can control each of the top 10 antigens associated with various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Earlier in the month, the company announced it had used its extracorporeal laser exposure process to successfully reduce and control the level of tau proteins in CSF. Tau is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies, such as Pick disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. The testing was performed on synthetic CSF, which researchers commonly use to substitute for human CSF.

At the time, Dr. Mitchell S. Felder, Halberd’s chief technology officer, said, “Tau is one of the known precursors to Alzheimer’s disease and several other neurodegenerative diseases. What sets Halberd’s approach apart is that other competitive efforts primarily focus on treating the symptoms with ingested or injected drugs — adding things to the body — with their associated potential debilitating side effects and drug interactions.”

The top 10 antigens are: phosphorylated tau; IL-7; TNF-alpha; IL-1; IL-12; IL-2; beta amyloid; IL-4; tau; and glutamate.

In December, the company announced its extracorporeal laser irradiation methodologies eliminated IL-1 (interleukein-1) from synthetic CSF. IL-1 is associated with various diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s. The company’s technologies are a version of dialysis treatment, where the blood or fluids are filtered to eliminate specific molecules or pathogens.

Halberd is evaluating it in COVID-19, for example, where it is testing the patient’s blood by introducing one or more antibody-antigen complexing agents that bind to COVID-19 target antigens associated with inflammatory cytokine storms. The company then filters the antibody-antigen complex using several methods, such as dialysis, nano-lasers or molecular adsorbent recirculating systems (MARS).

It’s likely a long distance between proving its technology can remove these antigens in assays and proving that the removal in humans provides clinical benefit. An example is Biogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm (aducanumab). Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on an accelerated approval showing the monoclonal antibody successfully cleared beta-amyloid in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, the proof of clinical benefit wasn’t as convincing, and the company is required to conduct a post-marketing clinical trial to confirm clinical efficacy.

Of their new landmark, William A. Hartman, Halberd’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, “This breakthrough will give hope to the 36 million Americans annually, and the millions more around the world, suffering from some form of neurodegenerative diseases…. Our next initiatives are proving efficacy in blood serum and animal testing. Not missing a step, we are in discussions with a major university that specializes in veterinary medicine to undertake animal testing. We have also contacted several Clinical Research Organizations to investigate FDA certification requirements.”

Also, because the company is an approved government contractor, it has updated a white paper approved by the Department of Defense regarding the research. “We similarly informed our NFL representative and NCAA contact to seek their organization’s participation in and/or endorsement of our program to develop an efficacious treatment for traumatic brain injuries and the subsequent neurodegenerative diseases that often follow,” Hartman added.