Pharmaceutical Market Europe • March 2021 • 26
RESEARCH NEWS
Parkinson’s UK-funded Vivifi Biotech to advance development of new treatment
Parkinson’s UK has created a new company, Vivifi Biotech, with a sole focus of advancing the development of Glial Cell-Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
The charity has previously funded a trial to evaluate GDNF in Parkinson’s disease, with the aim of discovering if increasing levels of the naturally occurring protein can regenerate brain cells and reverse the condition.
The results from this initial trial found some encouraging signs of improvement in those receiving the GDNF treatment, with results from brain scans revealing ‘promising’ effects on damaged cells.
However, there was no statistically significant difference between the active treatment group and those who received placebo on any of the standard assessments of Parkinson’s symptoms.
Further analysis of the data showed a significant difference between patients treated with GDNF compared to placebo using a novel combined metric – the Parkinson’s Disease Comprehensive Response (PDCORE).
The new biotech company will investigate whether the challenges presented by the first trial can be overcome to advance the development of GDNF.
If Vivifi is successful in this endeavour, the company could launch a new fully funded trial as early as next year.
In a statement, Parkinson’s UK said it will invest up to £800,000 over the next two years to prepare for a potential phase 2 trial of GDNF.
“The new company will bring the right people together to plan a new trial that meets the needs of patients, regulatory authorities and potential investors.
“We have signed an agreement with MedGenesis Therapeutix – the company that led the development of GDNF up to now – which means that Vivifi Biotech will own the intellectual property and data needed to make potentially life-changing progress,” said Arthur Roach, head of research at Parkinson’s UK.
MS Society awards £3.7m to fund two UK ‘Centres of Excellence’
The MS Society has awarded £3.7m to fund two research ‘Centres of Excellence’ based in the UK to advance new projects within the multiple sclerosis (MS) research space.
Researchers based at the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh will each benefit from £1.85m over the five-year grant period, which the MS Society has committed to fund following an application process.
The grant will help to fund scientists in their search to find new treatments at a faster pace for people living with progressive forms of MS in the UK, according to the MS Society.
The centres will work closely during this period, while also training the next generation of research scientists.
One project made possible by the funding is a new drug testing platform, which will identify potential new treatments by using screening robots to test thousands of molecules on zebrafish with an MS-like condition.
The two centres will also be developing new ways of testing the effectiveness of neuroprotective and myelin repair drugs in clinical trials.
The Cambridge team will build on their research on the impact of ageing on MS, by putting in place a system to study remyelination in people of all ages with MS.
“In order to truly stop MS we urgently need to find treatments that repair myelin – the protective layer that surrounds our nerves, which is damaged by the condition – and protect nerves from damage. The work happening in Cambridge and Edinburgh is inventive, innovative and incredibly exciting, and will be vital to help us reach our goal,” said Emma Gray, assistant director of research at the MS Society.