DanioLabs Announces BBSRC Funding for Multiple Sclerosis Research

Thursday 1st of January 1970 1:00

DanioLabs Announces BBSRC Funding for Multiple Sclerosis Research Programme
June 24th 2005: DanioLabs Ltd (Cambridge, UK) is pleased to announce the successful award of a BBSRC grant to support its ongoing program in the identification of therapeutics for multiple sclerosis. The program is particularly directed towards the secondary progressive form of the disease which is the major clinical need. Current treatments have partial effect in treating relapses of the earlier stages in the disease, but only marginal, if any, effects on the progressive forms of the disease, which contribute the greatest disability to the patient.

DanioLabs strategy focuses on identifying molecules which promote remyelination of the nervous system and utilises proprietary high throughput in vivo models in larval zebrafish, coupled with systematic, compound screens. The zebrafish work integrates into a wider program of therapy identification in multiple sclerosis encompassing inter-linked basic science and clinical work in the Cambridge area.

Notes to Editors:

DanioLabs (Cambridge, UK), is a drug discovery company that discovers and develops novel therapeutics primarily in neurological and ophthamological diseases, with an expertise in the use of zebrafish as an model organism. In addition to identifying new pharmaceuticals for our own internal development, the Company also works with other companies applying the technologies to help them discover and develop their compounds.

DanioLabs develops validated disease models, and screen for phenotypic rescue from the disease state. This approach is used to identify novel uses for known drug compounds – drug reprofiling, or to validate and prioritize New Chemical Entities (NCEs) that have shown activity in in-vitro assays, and can be also be used in safety pharmacology assessment.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects 62 people per 100,000 Caucasians and 31 people per 100,000 non Caucasians. The mean age of onset is 34. A minority take a benign course, with the majority eventually entering a secondary progressive course with gradually accumulating disability. It is now recognised that much of this disability arises from axonal loss, rather than demyelination per se. Thus whilst the therapies currently available, such as β interferon have benefit at in decreasing the acute relapses that characterise the early inflammatory stages of the disease, they have little effect in the part of the disease which results in the most disability and which last the longest time. This is the major clinical need.

 

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