Receptagen Ltd.'s experimental drug protects brain cells in animal model of stroke.EDMONDS, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 1996--Receptagen Ltd. (TSE/OTCBB:RCG;RCEPF) Monday announced encouraging preliminary results of a potential treatment for stroke in an animal model. Receptagen has presented evidence demonstrating that the Company's drug candidate, "water soluble ubiquinone ubiquinone /ubi·qui·none/ (Q) (Q10) (u?bi-kwi-non´) a quinone derivative with an unsaturated branched hydrocarbon side chain occurring in the lipid core of inner mitochondrial membranes and functioning in the electron transport chain. (CoQ10)," appeared to protect brain cells from death following experimentally induced strokes in laboratory animals. A stroke was produced by depleting the supply of oxygenated blood and subsequently allowing reperfusion to the brains of laboratory animals. Water soluble ubiquinone was then administered to the animals at various time points and the degree of cell death was analyzed in brain issue sections. Clinically significant protection from neuronal cell death was observed in the brain cells examined. Initially presented at the First Gordon Conference on Cell Death held in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon (pronounced by natives as IPA: /ˈlεbənɨn/ or , the study was a joint effort of scientists at Receptagen; The Institute of Biological Sciences; the Canadian Government's National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, headed by Marianna Sikorska, Ph.D.; and another team led by Scott Wilbur, Ph.D., at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a public medical school located in Seattle, Washington. It is a graduate school affiliated with the University of Washington, and is the only medical school in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho. , Seattle, Washington. "We believe the degree of protection in this model has not been previously seen with other therapeutic approaches, and is likely due to the ability of the drug candidate to both inhibit cell damage as well as enhance repair," said Dennis Fowler, M.D., Ph.D., Receptagen's Executive Vice President of Medical and Regulatory Affairs, "In light of these results, we are optimistic this will generate interest in corporate partnerships from the pharmaceutical industry." Native ubiquinone (CoQ10) is an important co-factor that regulates energy production and repair in cells. Studies have shown CoQ10 is a potent inhibitor of so-called "free radicals," highly reactive molecules that can trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death pro·grammed cell death n. See apoptosis. programmed cell death proposed system of cell death, often including poly(ADP)-ribosylation, ensures that a cell will not survive if it is so badly damaged that its recovery would harm the ). Receptagen has previously demonstrated native CoQ10 can inhibit programmed nerve and lymph cell death induced by a wide variety of insults. A challenge that current marketed forms of CoQ10 face is that they are not easily assimilated by the body, particularly the brain, limiting their effectiveness in acute therapy. Receptagen and all scientists at the NRC believes that water soluble CoQ10 may overcome this drawback. Although native CoQ10 is sold as a pharmaceutical drug in Japan and Europe for the treatment of congestive heart failure congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time. , no FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. approved form exists in North America. An oral form of CoQ10 for the treatment of AIDS has already gone through a pilot Phase I clinical trial Noun 1. phase I clinical trial - a clinical trial on a few persons to determine the safety of a new drug or invasive medical device; for drugs, dosage or toxicity limits should be obtained phase I at the University of Texas. Drug substance for further clinical testing will be supplied to Receptagen through an agreement with the leading Japanese manufacturer of pharmaceutical grade CoQ10. Receptagen currently has three operations; Receptagen Corp. in Edmonds, Wash., which is pursuing worldwide development of proprietary "Growth Blocker" drugs; Ryan Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Edmonds, Washington, which owns the exclusive rights to U.S. commercialization of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to inhibit apoptosis (cell dealth) in treating AIDS symptoms; and VWD Distributors, a wholesale drug and durable medical equipment Durable medical equipment is a term of art used to describe certain Medicare benefits, that is, whether Medicare may pay for the item. The item is defined by Title XVIII the Social Security Act: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, is the city immediately east of Vancouver. , Canada. -0- The Toronto Stock Exchange Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) Canada's largest stock exchange, trading approximately 1,200 company stocks and 33 options. has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein. CONTACT: Receptagen Ltd. Joseph S. Baba, 206/778-5260 or Dennis R. Fowler, M.D. , Ph.D., 206/778-5260 |
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