Latest news with #CureParkinsons
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's charities identify new ways to reuse current drugs
Scientists are to examine whether drugs that are already in use could be repurposed to treat the symptoms of both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's in a new collaboration which aims to discover novel treatments at pace. Experts say that by repurposing drugs, they can 'increase the shots on target' at tackling the diseases. This method of drug development could also reduce the time patients are left waiting for new treatments by up to 10 years, they added. It comes after the NHS spending watchdog rejected the use of new Alzheimer's drugs lecanemab and donanemab for widespread use in the health service. The drugs were approved for use in the UK last year by the UK's medicines regulator but the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), said they could not be used in the NHS because the benefits are 'too small' to justify the cost. Now charities Cure Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Research UK have joined forces to find current drugs that may tackle some of the common biology behind both diseases. After presentations to the International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT), which was set up by Cure Parkinson's over a decade ago, experts from both fields will select the most promising drugs for both Parkinson's and dementia, so they can be moved quickly into clinical trials. Weight loss jabs are already being investigated for their effectiveness in treating symptoms of both diseases and experts hope to uncover more drugs that can have multiple uses. Semaglutide, the active ingredient for weight loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is being examined in clinical trials to see whether it can help patients with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's. Trial results for the Alzheimer's trial are expected to be published later this year. Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, told the PA news agency that the iLCT project had already been 'hugely successful' with people who have Parkinson's, adding: 'Around 30% of disease modifying therapies that are in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease came through this process. 'What we wanted to do is to build on their knowledge and experience and expertise in order to be able to bring a process similar to that to Alzheimer's disease.' Dr Scales said that there are some 'common grounds' between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's – both are neurodegenerative diseases and have some 'common biological processes' – such as inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and 'protein misfolding' – which could be targets for repurposed drugs. 'Getting multiple drugs that are targeting the disease is really important to us,' she said. 'Testing different types of drugs and getting as many shots on target is important.' She said: 'Repurposed drugs have already been demonstrated to be safe for use in humans development of new drugs for different diseases is a long process. 'What essentially bringing repurposed drugs does, is help to accelerate the drug development pipeline – it could save between five and 10 years within that process, compared to taking a new drug through clinical trials for the very first time.' Helen Matthews, chief executive of Cure Parkinson's, said the iLCT was originally set up to identify drugs that can potentially 'slow down, stop or reverse Parkinson's'. She added: 'It was through this programme that we realised that there were so many drugs that were also being looked at in the dementia field and there were commonalities there in terms of the drugs looking to reduce inflammation, or whatever it might be, there were specific pathways that those drugs were working on that could be beneficial for both disease areas. 'So given that we were already doing the (work) every year, it made sense to join forces in this way, just to add efficiencies. 'Because if you're looking at the same drugs, we'll only do that digging once, you know, only do that compilation of the dossiers once, so that you can actually take the learning for both diseases and then actually look and see which might be beneficial.' She said that the 'sharing of knowledge and digging' could also be shared with other disease areas, such as MS. And on lecanemab and donanemab, Dr Scales added: '(These) were the first disease-targeting therapies that have been licensed in the UK, but obviously are not available on the NHS at the moment. 'They showed for the very first time that we were able to alter the course of the disease. 'And what we're looking forward to now is what the next generation of treatments can bring us and how we can target different parts of the disease.' Dr Lucy Devendra, head of research at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Repurposing medicines which are already known to be safe can help us find new treatments for the diseases that cause dementia much quicker. 'Although it is still early days, it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on this type of research and development.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Endurance Bio Inc. Announces Selection of T-168 for Neuro-SysMed's SLEIPNIR Platform Trial in Parkinson's Disease
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endurance Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, today announced that its compound, T-168, has been selected for testing on the SLEIPNIR clinical trial platform for Parkinson's disease (PD), an academic, investigator-led initiative at the Neuro-SysMed Centre of Excellence for clinical treatment research in neurology, in Bergen, Norway. SLEIPNIR is a pioneering, multi-arm, Phase 2a, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial platform designed to rigorously assess target penetration and engagement of candidate therapies in early-stage clinical development for PD. SLEIPNIR will operate through iterative cycles of trials, each of which will test three independent treatments versus a shared placebo group. Based on state-of-art fluid and neuroimaging biomarker analyses, treatments will be nominated for advancing to larger trials assessing clinical efficacy. In this manner, SLEIPNIR allows to prioritize therapies with verified brain penetration and biological activity for further development. SLEIPNIR is supported by Cure Parkinson's, the Norwegian Parkinson's Research Fund and the Norwegian Parkinson's Association. T-168 was chosen for its novel mechanism of action, which involves upregulation of PGC-1α and TFEB to restore mitochondrial and lysosomal function, key processes implicated in the pathophysiology of PD and other neurodegenerative diseases. This approach directly addresses the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies in PD, where more than 70 randomized clinical trials have failed to deliver a compound capable of halting disease progression. Professor Charalampos Tzoulis, MD, PhD, Director of the Neurodegeneration Program of the Neuro-SysMed Center and Professor of Neurology at Haukeland University Hospital and the University of Bergen, stated: 'Endurance Bio's T-168 stands out as a highly promising compound in clinical development for PD and other neurodegenerative disorders. Its mechanism, which upregulates PGC-1α and TFEB to restore mitochondrial and lysosomal function, addresses fundamental disease processes. By including T-168 in the SLEIPNIR platform trial, we aim to rigorously evaluate its potential to influence key-disease mechanisms in the patient brain. A positive outcome from this trial will directly nominate T-168 for testing of clinical efficacy in a Phase 2b/3 trial and bring new hope to patients worldwide'. Frederic Godderis, CEO of Endurance Bio Inc., added: 'We are excited to collaborate with Professor Tzoulis and his team to unlock the therapeutic potential of PGC-1α and TFEB upregulation for patients with Parkinson's disease. The SLEIPNIR study will be instrumental in advancing the clinical development of T-168 in PD and other neurodegenerative diseases. This partnership represents a significant step forward in our mission to deliver transformative treatments to patients'. PD is one of the most common and debilitating brain diseases. It affects approximately 10 million people globally. The SLEIPNIR trial is expected to set a new standard for early-phase clinical research in PD by prioritizing therapies with robust biological rationale and measurable target engagement. About Endurance Bio Inc. Endurance Bio Inc. is a California-based clinical-stage biotech company developing orally bioavailable small molecules that restore mitochondrial and lysosomal health by upregulating PGC-1α and TFEB, master regulators of cellular metabolism. Founded on discoveries from Dr. Edgar Engleman at Stanford University, Endurance Bio's lead compound, T-168, is in clinical Phase 2, with additional assets in preclinical development. The mechanism of action has demonstrated broad therapeutic potential not only in neuroscience, but also in metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory disease areas. Endurance Bio is seeking partners and investors to advance its innovative pipeline. This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding investigational therapies and clinical research. Actual results may differ due to risks and uncertainties inherent in drug development. CONTACT: Media: contact@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ozzy Osbourne film premiere coming to Birmingham
The world premiere screening of a film detailing the life of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne will take place in Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne will be shown at Millennium Point on 4 July, the day before he and Black Sabbath reunite one last time for a fundraising concert at Villa Park in the will have two opportunities to see the film on the day, at either 16:00 or 18:30 BST, with profits donated to film traces Ozzy Osbourne's life, from his childhood in the city through the rise of Black Sabbath and ensuing success as a solo artist, the venue said. At the end of the Friday evening, special guest Jack Osbourne, Ozzy's son, will be appearing live for a Q&A with those attending the later from the event will go to the Cure Parkinson's, Acorns Children's Hospice and Birmingham Children's Hospital charities. Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in 1968 and held their first rehearsal at Newtown Community Centre, a stone's throw from Villa band will headline a one-day festival at the stadium on 5 July, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and will mark the first time Black Sabbath's original line-up - Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward - have played together in 20 has largely been forced to stop touring due to a combination of Parkinson's and spinal injuries. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
