Drug Week
November 12, 2004
Pharma company re****ts completion of animal model of multiple sclerosis
Nutra Pharma Corp. (OTCBB:NPHC) announced that its minority holding,
ReceptoPharm, Inc., has re****ted the successful completion of studies in
an
animal model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the standard benchmark
animal methodology for the study of MS. ReceptoPharm's drug, RPI-78M,
proved
to be very effective in preventing the onset of disability in acute and
chronic models of the disease. The drug was also very effective in
preventing the infiltration of immune cells into the central nervous
system.
This research was conducted to confirm the re****ted benefits of similar
products in immune mediated diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and
Rheumatoid Arthritis.
"The EAE study yielded the results we expected though we were pleasantly
surprised at the reduced CNS infiltration by lymphocytes," commented Paul
Reid, PhD, CEO of ReceptoPharm. "The results of this study complete the
rationale for entering into clinical trials for the MS indication. We are
actively working on one IND for the phase II/III AMN
(Adrenomyeloneuropathy)
indication and when that is completed we will be in a good position to
enter
into MS trials," he added.
"These remarkable results provide sup****ting rationale for our microarray
work with RPI-78M," commented James Flowers, president and chief
scientific
officer of Eno Research and Development, Inc. (ERDI). "After reviewing
this
study, we expanded our efforts to include analysis of the interactions
between the different cell types of the MS lesion."
He continued, "Understanding how this compound affects the MS lesion and
which genes it modulates, may help us understand the mechanism of action
for
RPI-78M." Nutra Pharma has engaged ERDI to study RPI-78M and its effects
on
gene expression using cDNA microarray technology. Their research aims to
identify any potentially unique changes in gene expression that may be
caused by the therapy.
"RPI-78M reduced the clinical symptoms by more than 80%," remarked
neurologist Mitchell S. Felder, MD "There was also more than an 87%
reduction in the number of EAE histopathologic lesions. If these results
are
duplicated in the human trials it could possibly revolutionize the
treatment
of MS. The results from an EAE model indicate that this drug may also have
therapeutic potential for a great number of other neurologic conditions
such
as Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, Transverse Myelitis, Krabbe's
Leukodystrophy, Alexander Disease, Canavan Disease and
Adrenoleukodystrophy," he concluded.
"These results are very encouraging," commented Rik Deitsch, CEO of Nutra
Pharma. "The positive results of the animal model sup****t our move into
phase II human clinical trials," he added.
Nutra Pharma Corp. (OTCBB:NPHC) is a biotechnology holding company that
owns
rights to intellectual property related to the development of drugs for
HIV
and Multiple Sclerosis.
ReceptoPharm is a biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary
therapeutic proteins for the treatment of several chronic,
life-threatening
viral, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders, specifically including
Rabies, HIV, and Myasthenia gravis (MG).
Eno Research and Development, Inc. (ERDI) is a full-service contract
research organization located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, near
Research
Triangle Park. ERDI offers a wide range of preclinical development
services
to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, animal health and
nutraceutical companies.
This article was prepared by Drug Week editors from staff and other
re****ts.
Copyright 2004, Drug Week via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net.
--
For this and many more articles, see Paul Jones' website at
http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/
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