EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- KineMed, Inc., a pathway- based drug discovery and development company, announced a poster presentation at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopedic Research Society in Chicago, IL. The presentation described a novel method for quantifying cell and matrix molecule turnover in animal models of joint degeneration.
As covered by the poster entitled, “Simultaneous measurement of cell and matrix turnover in cartilage,” the Company has demonstrated the unique ability of KineMed’s stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometric analysis to quantify the health of cartilage tissue in animals undergoing joint degeneration. These methods were validated using established tissue culture systems as a reference and then extended into intact animals.
David Fineman, President and CEO of KineMed, commented, “The ability to quantify cell-mediated alterations during osteoarthritis progression and treatment provides a sensitive measure of drug effect on processes of disease and health, with direct applications for drug discovery and development. Most importantly, these measures detect changes earlier than other measures of joint remodeling or degradation.”
Marc Hellerstein, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of KineMed, stated, “This work describes a promising new strategy for monitoring disease activity and drug effects in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a multi-factorial condition. The finding that chemical vs. mechanical damage has different effects on the turnover of one of the major cartilage molecules (chondroitin sulfate) demonstrates the capacity to monitor specific etiologies of joint degeneration and their individual responses to therapy.”
Dr. Hellerstein concluded, “This presentation, therefore, may open the door to specific, as well as, general tools for monitoring osteoarthritis and its treatment.”
KineMed KineMarker(TM) Product Programs in Osteoarthritis
KineMed’s proprietary in vivo KineMarker(TM) assays provide new, sensitive and high-throughput measures of several key biological pathways involved in the pathogenesis and treatment of degenerative joint conditions. These assays can be used in clinical, as well as, preclinical settings.
KineMed’s Cartilage Matrix KineMarkers(TM) are much more sensitive, reproducible and high-throughput than traditional methods, such as histological staining and are safer than traditional radioisotope labeling methods.
About KineMed, Inc.
KineMed, Inc. (“KineMed” or the “Company”) is a pathway-based drug development company employing its proprietary biomarker technology (AquaTag(TM) and KineMarker(TM)) to efficiently translate compounds (chemistry) into drugs (desired biological effect). The Company is working to develop drugs both on its own and with pharma collaborators in therapeutic focus areas where it can demonstrate functional modulation of specific biological pathways that mediate disease.
KineMed’s technology expedites the drug development process and provides real-time insight into conditions including metabolic disorders, cancer, and diseases of inflammation and neurodegeneration.
For further information about KineMed, please visit: http://www.kinemed.com
KineMed, Inc.
CONTACT: Brent Vaughan, Chief Business Officer of KineMed, Inc.,+1-510-655-6525, ext. 110; or Media - Justin Jackson of Burns McClellan,+1-212-213-0006, jjackson@burnsmc.com, for KineMed, Inc.
Web site: http://www.kinemed.com/
