Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. and CHDI, Inc. Enter Into Compound Testing Agreement to Evaluate OXIGON(TM) as a Potential Treatment for Huntington Disease Thursday September 20, 7:45 am ET Agreement demonstrates broad potential use of Intellect's...
Exhibit
99.2
Intellect
Neurosciences, Inc. and CHDI, Inc. Enter Into Compound Testing Agreement to
Evaluate OXIGON(TM) as a Potential Treatment for Huntington
Disease
Thursday
September 20, 7:45 am ET
Agreement
demonstrates broad potential use of Intellect's clinical candidate
NEW
YORK, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Intellect
Neurosciences, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ILNS - News),
a
biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of disease-modifying
therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease
and
related disorders, and CHDI, Inc., a non-profit organization pursuing the
discovery and development of drugs to prevent or slow the progression of
Huntington disease (HD), announced today that they have entered into an
agreement under which CHDI will assess Intellect's OXIGON(TM) as a potential
therapy for Huntington disease. CHDI has access to a variety of relevant
research tools, including in vitro and in vivo assays and animal models.
Intellect has completed Phase I clinical trials for OXIGON(TM) in elderly
healthy volunteers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Xx.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx, CEO and Chairman of Intellect, commented: "We are pleased that
CHDI is evaluating whether XXXXXX's method of action might extend to Huntington
disease. OXIGON(TM) is planned to enter Phase II clinical trials in Alzheimer's
patients in 2008. The data generated in the CHDI study could support proceeding
with clinical trials in HD patients as well."
"We
are
intrigued by the properties of this compound, which has demonstrated
neuroprotective effects in various animal models," said Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, XXXX's
Chief Scientific Officer. "We are pleased to work with the Intellect team to
evaluate the usefulness of OXIGON(TM) to treat HD."
About
OXIGON(TM)
Intellect's
lead drug candidate, OXIGON(TM), is a chemically synthesized form of a naturally
occurring molecule that has unique neuroprotectant and antioxidant properties.
OXIGON(TM) has been demonstrated to protect the brain from many potent
neurotoxins in animals and also to block the formation of toxic aggregates
that
result from abnormal folding of proteins such as beta amyloid that accumulates
in the brain of Alzheimer's patients and potentially other abnormal proteins
such as those found in Huntington's disease. Preclinical studies using
transgenic mouse models have provided evidence that OXIGON(TM) has the potential
to reduce brain amyloid burden and improve cognition in Alzheimer's
disease.
Intellect
is the exclusive licensee of patents related to the use of OXIGON(TM), which
are
owned jointly by New York University and the University of South Alabama
Research Foundation. Patents have been granted in Europe, the United States
and
several other countries.
About
Huntington Disease
Huntington
disease is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation
in
a gene. Each child of a HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene
which causes programmed degeneration of brain cells and results in emotional
disturbance, loss of intellectual faculties and uncontrolled movements. Most
people with HD develop the symptoms at midlife but in some people onset occurs
in infancy or old age. The average survival time after onset is approximately
fifteen to twenty years. It is estimated that about one in every 10,000 persons
has the HD gene. At this time, there is no way to stop or reverse the course
of
Huntington disease.
Intellect
Neurosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery
and
development of disease-modifying therapeutic agents for the treatment and
prevention of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders. Intellect has recently
completed Phase I clinical trials for OXIGON(TM), a unique antioxidant and
anti-amyloid compound that has potential to treat Alzheimer's disease and other
disorders. Also, the Company has a broad proprietary immunotherapy platform
for
both passive and active immunization against Alzheimer's disease.
For
additional information, please visit xxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
About
CHDI, Inc.
CHDI,
Inc. is a non-profit organization pursuing a biotech approach to rapidly
discover and develop drugs that prevent or slow Huntington disease. Through
collaborations with academic and industrial partners, CHDI, Inc. participates
in
all aspects of drug discovery and development from discovery research through
clinical development. For more information about CHDI, Inc. and its
collaborative programs please see xxx.xxxx-xxx.xxx.
For
additional information, please visit xxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
For
further information contact:
Xxxxxx
Xxxx, X.X., C.P.A.
President
& Chief Financial Officer
0
Xxxx
00xx
Xxxxxx,
0xx
Floor
New
York,
NY 10011, USA
Tel:
000-
000-0000
