SANTA ANA, CA--(Marketwire - February 26, 2013) - Io Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the initiation of a collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to evaluate the Company’s experimental Retinoid X Receptor (RXR) agonist compound IRX4204 as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The collaboration, funded by MJFF, will examine the effects of IRX4204 in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. If the results are promising, these preclinical studies could lead to the initiation of a clinical trial of IRX4204 in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
About RXR in Parkinson’s disease and IRX4204
“It was reported in the medical literature nearly a decade ago that signaling through RXR pathways promotes survival of dopaminergic neurons, the primary type of cell being destroyed in Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Rosh Chandraratna, Chief Scientific Officer of Io Therapeutics. Dr. Chandraratna continued, “IRX4204 is a first-in-class highly potent and specific agonist of RXR. We are hopeful that it will prove useful for treating Parkinson’s disease, perhaps even for slowing its progression.”
Dr. Martin E. Sanders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Io Therapeutics, said, “IRX4204 has been well tolerated in clinical trials in patients with various cancers. Io Therapeutics is now expanding the development program for IRX4204 to include its evaluation as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.” Dr. Sanders added, “Io Therapeutics is grateful to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for its support of the company’s development program for IRX4204 to address the unmet need for disease course-modifying treatments for this debilitating condition which afflicts at least 500,000 Americans.”
About Io Therapeutics
Io Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Ana, California, focused on the development of novel treatments for cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and autoimmune diseases.
Forward Looking Statements
This new release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
For more information on Io Therapeutics see: www.io-therapeutics.com
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