Announcement: A study showing CDNF's therapeutic effects in alpha-synuclein-based animal models published
Herantis Pharma Plc, Company release, 20 May 2021 at 11:45 AM EEST
Herantis Pharma Plc (“Herantis or the Company”), focusing on disease modifying therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that a research paper that outlines the interaction of CDNF with α-synuclein and novel insights into the potential of CDNF as a therapeutic strategy in Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies, was published online in the journal Molecular Therapy.
”Alpha-synuclein is the neuropathological hallmark and a major driver of disease progression in Parkinson’s disease. This is an important study as it provides evidence on multiple levels supporting the concept that CDNF’s therapeutic effects may be partially mediated via its effects on alpha-synuclein pathology”, said Mikko Airavaara, professor of pharmacology at the University of Helsinki and the senior author of the study. “It is particularly interesting that CDNF, known to modulate proteostasis via its effects on the unfolded protein response pathway, also has a direct interaction with alpha-synunclein”, Airavaara continued.
“This was a very long study and in the final stages combined two datasets from groups that had been independently working on the same topic. We would like to congratulate the authors on their successful collaboration and combination of the two distinct datasets in this important paper”, said Henri Huttunen, the Chief Scientific Officer of Herantis Pharma and co-author of the study.
Herantis Pharma develops CDNF and xCDNF in Parkinson’s disease. This study provides new insight in how CDNF affects alpha-synuclein pathology on the molecular and cellular level.
The complete article with citation details can be viewed on Elsevier Science via DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.04.035
For more information, please contact:
Julie Silber/Gabriela Urquilla
Tel: +46 (0)7 93 486 277/+46 (0)72-396 72 19
Email: ir@herantis.com
Certified Advisor: UB Securities Ltd, Finland: +358 9 25 380 225, Sweden: +358 40 5161400
Company website: www.herantis.com
About Molecular Therapy Journal
A leading international journal for research on the development of molecular and cellular therapeutics to correct genetic and acquired diseases, including but not limited to research on gene transfer and editing, vector development and design, stem cell manipulation, vaccine development, pre-clinical target validation, safety/efficacy studies, and clinical trials.
About Herantis Pharma Plc
Herantis focuses on disease modifying therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases by restoring the neuronal protective mechanism of proteostasis, a key system in neurodegenerative disease. Proteostasis regulates proteins within the body and influences the fate of every protein from synthesis to degradation. Its failure results in a vicious cycle of pathological accumulation of protein aggregates, neuroinflammation and various forms of cellular stress that is widely implicated with the development of many neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s and other diseases. CDNF is a protein that occurs naturally in the body whose normal role is to protect neurons by balancing and supporting proteostasis, thereby preventing and counteracting disease generating mechanisms. Herantis is taking this natural ability and harnessing it as a treatment for neurodegenerative disease. CDNF – a biological protein – is Herantis’ lead program and a clinical stage asset; and xCDNF – a synthetic peptide version of CDNF – is Herantis’ follow-on program. Both CDNF and xCDNF have, via their multimodal mechanism of action, the potential improves neuronal survival and to stop the progression of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disease and have a significant therapeutic impact on the lives of patients.
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