29 Feb 2008 - Affiris GmbH announced that it has been granted a Europe-wide patent for a new method of reducing the amount of harmful protein deposits (beta-amyloid) in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. A key feature of this method is the cleansing of the patient¹s blood (apheresis). This enables the targeted removal of the proteins that cause the accumulation of deposits in the brain, and therefore the onset of the disease.
The recently patented process involves fixing receptor molecules onto a carrier material and using them to bind the beta-amyloid that can lead to the formation of plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The fixed receptor molecules from Affiris, which can help reduce the amount of beta-amyloid present in the blood (serum), can be deployed during hemodialysis.
What may, at first glance, seem a somewhat unusual approach using hemodialysis to achieve therapeutic effects in the brain is actually based on sound science, as Dr. Walter Schmidt, CEO of Affiris GmbH explains: "The beta-amyloid molecules that lead to the formation of plaques can penetrate the blood-brain barrier via directed transport. As a result, their concentration in the brain correlates directly to their concentration in the blood. If we can reduce beta-amyloid concentrations in the blood as our apheresis permits us to beta-amyloid is then transported out of the brain and into the bloodstream until the concentration is balanced again. Consequently, removing beta-amyloid from the blood gradually reduces the concentration of beta-amyloid and its fragments in the brain."
The key to this is ensuring that the receptor molecules have the correct binding properties. Affiris AFFITOME technology delivers these properties by enabling scientists to define and generate molecules with very specific binding characteristics. This technology also offers a significant advantage in the development of vaccines against human rogue proteins. In this case, it means that autoimmune reactions can be avoided, as Affiris has already proven with its first Alzheimer's vaccine.
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