SARM1 deletion protects axons and prevents increases in neurofilament light chain (NF-L), a biomarker of axonal degeneration
SARM1 deletion protects axons and prevents increases in neurofilament light chain (NF-L), a biomarker of axonal degeneration
Poster presentation today at 1pm at the 2018 Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD
BALTIMORE, July 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Disarm Therapeutics, a biotechnology company creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration, a central driver of neurological disease, today presents data demonstrating SARM1 deletion prevents axonal degeneration following traumatic and chemical nerve injuries. The data also show, for the first time, that in vitro and in vivo release of NF-L, an increasingly used clinical biomarker of axonal degeneration, is SARM1-dependent.
The SARM1 protein was identified by Disarm’s scientific founders as the central driver of axonal degeneration. The company is developing inhibitors of SARM1 to prevent axonal degeneration in chronic and acute diseases of the central, ocular, and peripheral nervous systems.
Peripheral neuropathies, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), affect approximately twenty million people in the United States. Sixty percent of patients with cancer treated with chemotherapy develop CIPN, and nearly all patients with diabetes suffer from DPN. These common forms of peripheral neuropathy develop as a result of damage to peripheral nerves and lead to tingling, numbness of limbs and severe pain, amongst other symptoms.
“Peripheral neuropathy has debilitating effects on patients,” said Ahmet Hoke, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins. “In diabetic neuropathy, symptoms can range from pain and numbness in feet to problems with the functions of internal organs, such as the heart and bladder. In cancer, severe pain caused by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy often requires treatment discontinuation or modification. Unfortunately, in all types of peripheral neuropathy, treatment options are limited and do not address the underlying cause of the disease.”
“Axonal degeneration is a common yet unaddressed cause of acute and chronic neurological diseases,” said Rajesh Devraj, PhD, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Disarm Therapeutics. “Targeting SARM1, the central driver of axonal degeneration, is a unique disease-modifying approach to prevent loss of nerve function in a number of diseases including diabetic, cancer therapy-induced and inherited forms of peripheral neuropathy.”
About Disarm Therapeutics
Disarm Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that is creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration, a central driver of neurological disease-causing disability and disease progression. By inhibiting the SARM1 protein, identified by the company’s scientific founders as the central driver of axonal degeneration, these therapeutics may prevent the loss of axons in chronic and acute diseases of the central, ocular, and peripheral nervous systems. For a broad range of diseases including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, glaucoma, and peripheral neuropathies, the therapeutic goal is to prevent further degeneration, stabilize disease, and allow for functional recovery. Disarm was founded by Atlas Venture, Dr. Jeffrey Milbrandt and Dr. Aaron DiAntonio of Washington University in St. Louis, and a team of exceptional scientists and drug developers committed to developing a new treatment paradigm for patients with neurological diseases. For more information, please visit www.disarmtx.com.
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SOURCE Disarm Therapeutics
