Jan 28 2011
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announced today that it has awarded a grant of $195,000 to ALS Biopharma, LLC to develop therapeutics targeted at clearing toxic proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease.
The program will identify and develop small-molecule brain-penetrant inducers of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). Hsp70 clears two proteins believed to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, the toxic form of tau protein and beta-amyloid. The company first developed the Hsp70 program to clear insoluble protein deposits seen in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
"We greatly appreciate the ADDF funding because it allows us to explore small-molecule regulation of the heat shock response to treat neurological disorders by taking advantage of our established competencies in pharmacology and medicinal chemistry," said Dr. Allen Reitz, CEO of ALS Biopharma.
"We are excited to support ALS Biopharma's innovative program in this target area," said Howard Fillit, MD, Executive Director of the ADDF. "Small molecule therapeutics targeting Hsp70 would result in a disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer's disease and could also be employed in related neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, Parkinson's and Huntington's."
SOURCE Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
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