Cortexyme, Inc. Announces Publication of New Data Further Demonstrating the Therapeutic Potential of Cor388
January 30, 2020 at 01:18 pm
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Cortexyme, Inc. announced the publication of new data in Pharmacology Research and Perspectives revealing further detail about the pharmacodynamics and utility of the company’s lead investigational medicine, COR388. The data provides additional evidence on the ability of COR388 to engage its target, the toxic proteases, or gingipains, released by the bacterium P. gingivalis and the closely related species P. gulae, resulting in beneficial effects on bacterial load and symptoms. Cortexyme’s foundational research previously identified gingipains in more than 90% of Alzheimer’s disease brains studied. P. gingivalis is best known for its role asa keystone bacterium in the development of periodontal disease, and has recently been shown in animal studies to infiltrate the brain after oral infection and trigger pathology of Alzheimer’s including neurodegeneration, inflammation, beta-amyloid and tau pathology. In this publication, researchers report that COR388 demonstrates dose-dependent gingipain target engagement in a naturally occurring P. gulae infection, including in difficult to reach bacterial biofilm niches. P. gulae is the only other bacterial species known to secrete gingipains. COR388 was efficacious in improving downstream pathology of the infection, namely gingival pocket depth, a symptom of periodontal disease which affects approximately 65 million Americans. In addition, gingipain antigens and P. gulae DNA were found in the brains of aged dogs, indicating that P. gulae can also migrate from the oral cavity to the brain in a manner similar to that seen for P. gingivalis in Alzheimer’s patients.
Quince Therapeutics, Inc. is a late-stage biotechnology company. The Company is engaged in unlocking the patientâs own biology to deliver life-changing therapeutics to those living with rare diseases. Its proprietary autologous intracellular drug encapsulation (AIDE) technology platform is a drug/device combination that uses an automated process designed to encapsulate a drug into the patientâs own red blood cells. The Companyâs Phase III lead asset, EryDex, leverages its AIDE technology to encapsulate dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) into a patientâs own red blood cells, and is targeted to treat a rare pediatric neurodegenerative disease, Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T). Its AIDE technology is designed to allow for the chronic administration of drugs that have limitations due to toxicity, poor biodistribution, suboptimal pharmacokinetics, or immune response. The AIDE technology platform delivers a variety of therapeutics, ranging from small to large molecules, as well as biologics.