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news.Cantabio Pharmaceuticals announced its collaboration with the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Antioquia in Colombia, to further evaluate the company’s DJ-1 protein-targeting small molecule pharmaceutical chaperone drug candidates in development for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
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The partnership brings together Cantabio’s novel approach and the University of Antioquia’s research excellence on the role of oxidative stress in PD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Pharmaceutical chaperones are small molecules that are designed to enter cells and serve as molecular scaffolding to prevent or reverse the misfolding and the loss of function of proteins. Misfolded proteins are associated with numerous diseases particularly neurodegenerative diseases including PD and Alzheimer’s disease.
Research from the ongoing collaboration is elucidating the precise cellular signaling mechanism through which Cantabio’s novel pharmacological chaperone drug candidates produce protective effects in neuron-like cell models. DJ-1 is a key component in the cell’s ability to prevent and reduce damage due to oxidative stress and protein misfolding and is heavily implicated in the onset and progression of PD.
Initial results from the collaboration are expected to form part of Cantabio’s presentation of cellular and in vivo results at the 4th World Parkinson Congress taking place in Portland, Oregon in September 20th-23rd 2016.
"These are incredibly exciting times for oxidative stress research," said professor Velez-Pardo, School of Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Neuroscience Research Group, and University of Antioquia. "Both myself and professor Marlene Jimenez-Del-Rio are pleased to collaborate with Cantabio Pharmaceuticals to better understand the underlying mechanisms of PD and help generate new approaches to treating this insidious and untreatable disorder."
Gergely Toth, Ph.D., MBA, CEO of Cantabio Therapeutics, Inc. said, "We are privileged to be working with professors Velez-Pardo and Jimenez-Del-Rio and their team. They are leading researchers of oxidative stress signaling mechanisms related to neurodegenerative diseases. Our collaborative research enables us to elucidate the cellular mechanism of action of our pharmaceutical chaperones targeting DJ-1 in more detail.
"Such insight will provide us a stronger opportunity to translate them into clinical candidates that we hope will improve the prognosis of PD patients. In addition, this relationship underscores our ongoing commitment to working with partners that are at the forefront of science and medicine to continue to develop our exciting portfolio of innovative treatments."