Amorfix Life Sciences uses A(4) test to detect accumulation of Abeta in mouse models of AD

- Amorfix Quantifies Rate of Accumulation of Amyloid in Seven Mouse Models of AD -

Amorfix Life Sciences, a company focused on treatments and diagnostics for misfolded protein diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), has used its A(4) test to compare the rate of accumulation of aggregated Abeta in the brain tissue of various mouse models of AD. Amorfix presented this new data at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2010) this week.

The paper presented by Amorfix entitled "Early Detection of Beta-Amyloid Aggregation in In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Alzheimer's Disease" characterized seven different AD mouse models by quantitatively measuring the beta-amyloid (Abeta) aggregates in brain tissue from animals 1 month to 14 months of age. The accumulation of Abeta is the hallmark of AD in humans, and a number of cell-culture and animal models have been developed to mimic AD pathology. The A(4) (Amorfix Aggregated Abeta Assay) was developed to provide a quantitative method for detection of aggregated species of Abeta.

"The utility of the A(4) test to answer scientific questions continues to grow rapidly. These new findings will provide researchers with the ability to assess drug effects at critical time points when aggregation is high or low or accelerating in mouse models of AD", said Dr. Louise Scrocchi, Senior Scientist of Amorfix. "The A(4) can also be used for quantification of pyroglutamate (pGlu) modified Abeta peptides which are major constituents of amyloid deposits in both sporadic and inherited AD, and make better drug targets than do the full-length versions. A growing number of researchers are now focusing on this modified peptide as a target for drug discovery."

The A(4) can be used for the specific quantification of aggregated Abeta 1-42 in tissue culture. This will allow for high-throughput screening for selection of lead compounds to use for pre-clinical AD trials in animals. Amorfix offers the A(4) test as a service to AD researchers worldwide and recently partnered with reMYND of Belgium to provide the A(4) to their contract research organization clients.

"We are pleased to show the AD research community the versatility of the A(4) and its ability to detect and monitor the accumulation of aggregated Abeta in a variety of models. The sensitivity of A(4) which allows us to detect aggregated Abeta as early as one month of age in these models supports our continued development of a human blood or spinal fluid test for AD." said Dr. Robert Gundel, Chief Executive Officer of Amorfix.