Allon advances Parkinson’s disease program
Allon Therapeutics Inc. announced the completion of its first phase of work in a preclinical Parkinson’s disease (PD) model and advancement into the second phase of work. Both phases are funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) for Parkinson’s Research and carried out by Prof. Marie-Francoise Chesselet’s lab at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
The first phase of the project conducted experiments on young alpha-synuclein transgenic animals, a model for PD. Feedback from a recent review by MJFF scientists and an expert panel of scientific reviewers helped strengthen the study design of the second phase of the project, studying the effect of davunetide on aged transgenic animals with pronounced motor impairment and dopaminergic deterioration, similar to what is seen in mild-to-moderate PD patients. Allon expects the results of these studies to be released in conjunction with publications or presentation at an international meeting at a later date.
The objective of this work is centred on using relevant preclinical models to determine if there is a strong scientific rationale for moving davunetide into clinical trials in PD. In assessing the clinical potential of davunetide in PD, there are a number of studies that should be completed to understand how new products might be used. Dr. Bruce Morimoto, Allon’s Vice President of Drug Development, describes the path forward: “Allon is committed to methodically evaluating a series of detailed preclinical studies in the models that will provide an assessment of davunetide’s potential to treat Parkinson’s disease. We are encouraged with the results of this MJFF-sponsored research, which helps define the scientific rationale and justification in Parkinson’s, and complements our existing data on davunetide’s mechanism of action.”
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