GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
announces the presentation of data on the Company's drug candidates for acute
and chronic neurodegeneration such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease (AD),
respectively, as well as Lewy body disorders including Parkinson's Disease
(PD) at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New
Orleans, Louisiana. Abstracts of the poster presentation and two platform
presentations may be accessed on the conference database at
http://sfn.scholarone.com.
The first platform presentation, entitled, "The Development of Novel
Inhibitors of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization," was presented by Michael S.
Lebowitz, PhD, Project Director for Parkinson's Disease at the Company. Dr.
Lebowitz presented data in support of the inhibition of alpha-synuclein
oligomerization as a promising approach for the treatment and possible
prevention of PD. Data were also presented demonstrating that drug candidates
PAN-408 and PAN-527 potently inhibit alpha-synuclein oligomerization in an in
vitro assay of early events in alpha-synuclein oligomerization, an in vitro
assay that measures later stage aggregation, and a cell-based model of PD with
rotenone-induced formation of alpha-synuclein. Both candidates also rescued
cellular growth of rotenone treated neuroblastoma cells.
The second platform presentation, entitled, "Neurodegeneration Caused by
Hypoxia and Ischemia Do Not Share the Same Mechanism of Action," was presented
by Zhi-Gang Jiang, MD, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist for Neuroprotection Program
at the Company. Dr. Jiang presented data on the identification of
neuroprotective agents that are able to minimize the effects of oxidative
stress, which plays a primary role in the neurodegenerative disorders such as
Alzheimer's disease. Utilizing neuronal cultures treated under conditions of
hypoxia, ischemia, and/or highly reactive oxygen species, the Company has
identified a class of new compounds including a lead candidate, PAN-811, which
is a synthetic, neuro-available compound that fully protected neurons against
these insults. The data also demonstrated that, although the end result of
hypoxia and ischemia for the primary neurons are similar, the mechanism of
action was observed to be different, having a significant effect on strategies
for developing neuroprotectants.
The third presentation, entitled, "Identification of a Novel, Potent,
Neuroavailable, and Cytoprotective Agent for Alzheimer's Disease," was
presented by Weiying Pan, PhD, Staff Scientist for Alzheimer's Disease Program
at the Company. Recent evidence has demonstrated that oxidative stress
precedes clinical and pathological manifestations of AD and implicates
oxidative stress as playing a primary role in the etiology of AD. Dr. Pan
presented in vitro data on PAN-811 demonstrating that it had potent anti-
oxidative stress activity. PAN-811 was also compared to known antioxidants
such as Vitamin E and lipoic acid and showed much better neuroprotection and a
more favorable therapeutic index. The Company plans to continue to develop
PAN-811 and compounds based on PAN-811 for use in acute neurodegenerative
conditions.
"Over the course of the last year, we have had breakthrough progress in
our programs to develop drugs for brain diseases," stated Hossein A. Ghanbari,
PhD, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the Company. "Our programs are based
on the underlying causes or etiology of these diseases and have yielded
candidate compounds that may have multiple mechanisms of action against a
broad disease base. We will continue to explore and determine the application
and action of these compounds as we narrow down the candidates and enter pre-
clinical studies."
About Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company
focused on utilizing functional genomics and proteomics to develop
therapeutics and diagnostics for diseases with substantial unmet clinical
need. The Company's product development focus is on novel proteins and
biochemical pathways related to cellular regulation and cell cycle
abnormalities in oncology as well as both acute and chronic neurodegenerative
conditions such as hypoxia-induced cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease,
and Alzheimer's disease. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Proteus
Diagnostics, Inc., will be developing in vitro diagnostics including
pharmacogenomic and pharmacoproteomic tools for cancer detection, diagnosis,
prognosis, treatment selection, and follow-up.
More information is available at http://www.PanaceaPharma.com and
http://www.ProteusDx.com.
Except for historical information presented in this press release, matters
discussed herein may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-
looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management only
as of the date of this release and are subject to certain risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any
future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not
limited to, uncertainties related to our access to capital, the progress,
costs, and results of any clinical trials undertaken by us, progress of our
research and development projects, and uncertainties related to whether our
product candidates would ultimately achieve commercial success. We do not
undertake any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise unless
required by law.
CONTACT: Kasra Ghanbari, President of Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
+1-240-243-8000 ext. 108, Fax: +1-240-465-0450, or Kasra@PanaceaPharma.com.
SOURCE Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.panaceapharma.com
http://www.ProteusDx.com http://sfn.scholarone.com
CONTACT:
Kasra Ghanbari, President of Panacea
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-240-243-8000 ext. 108, Fax:
+1-240-465-0450, or Kasra@PanaceaPharma.com
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