Tag: cAMP

Targeting PDE1 for PD

~ Simon ~ 2 Comments

 

Many novel therapies are currently being clinically tested in Parkinson’s, and this week we heard the results of one clinical trial which provided some very interesting news.

Intra-Cellular Therapies has been testing their drug, ITI-214 – which is a potent and selective phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1) inhibitor. Inhibitors of PDE1 prevent the breakdown of protein called cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP).

The results of the Intra-Cellular Therapies clinical trial suggest that in people with Parkinson’s, the drug not only improves symptoms, but also reduces dyskinesias.

In today’s post we will discuss what PDE1 is, how PDE1 inhibitors work, and what the results of the clinical trial suggest.

 

Source: 2018.myana

Every year in October, the American Neurology Association (ANA) gather in one of the major US cities to share research regarding neurological condtions, like Parkinson’s. And while I did not attend the ANA meeting this year, I was keen to hear the results of one particular clinical study.

It was a trial conducted by a company called Intra-Cellular Therapies.

And they were presenting the results of a Phase I/II trial of their experimental drug ITI-214.

What is special about ITI-214?

ITI-214 is a Phosphodiesterase inhibitor.

What is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor?

Continue reading “Targeting PDE1 for PD” →

Ibudilast: A Phosphodiesterase inhibitor

~ Simon ~ 5 Comments

A reader recently asked me about an experimental drug called Ibudilast.

It is a ‘Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor’.

Recently there was a very interesting result in a clinical trial looking at Ibudilast in a specific neurodegenerative condition. Sadly for the reader that condition was not Parkinson’s, in fact very little research has been done on Ibudilast in Parkinson’s

In today’s post we will look at what Phosphodiesterase inhibitors are, how they work, and discuss why Ibudilast may not be such a good experimental treatment for Parkinson’s.

On April 21-27th, 2018, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) will hold their 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles (California).

I will not be at the meeting, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any news regarding the results of one particular clinical trial. At the meeting, a biopharmaceutical company called MediciNova Inc. will be presenting data regarding one of their clinical trials.

The presentation, entitled “Ibudilast – Phosphodiesterase Type 4 Inhibitor – Bi-Modal Therapy with Riluzole in Early Cohort and Advanced Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Patients – Final Report and Future Directions“ (Source) will be presented by principal investigator of the clinical study, Dr. Benjamin Rix Brooks, of the Carolinas HealthCare System’s Neuromuscular/ALS-MDA Center at Carolinas HealthCare System Neurosciences Institute.

Dr Brooks will be presenting the results of a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clnical trial which was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical endpoint responsiveness of a drug called Ibudilast (or MN-166) in subjects with the neurodegenerative condition, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (or ALS – also known as motor neuron disease; Click here to read a previous SoPD post about ALS and Click here to learn more about this clinical trial).

What is Ibudilast?

Ibudilast is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor.

What is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor?

Continue reading “Ibudilast: A Phosphodiesterase inhibitor” →

The Acorda’s Tozadenant Phase III clinical trials

~ Simon ~ 6 Comments

The biotech company Acorda Therapeutics Inc. yesterday announced that it was halting new recruitment for the phase III program of its drug Tozadenant (an oral adenosine A2a receptor antagonist).

In addition, participants currently enrolled in the trial will now have their blood monitoring conducted on a weekly basis. 

The initial report looks really bad (tragically five people have died), but does this tragic news mean that the drug should be disregarded?

In todays post, we will look at what adenosine A2a receptor antagonists are, how they may help with Parkinson’s, and discuss what has happened with this particular trial.

Dr Ron Cohen, CEO of Acorda. Source: EndpointNews

Founded in 1995, Acorda Therapeutics Ltd is a biotechnology company that is focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease.

Earlier this year, they had positive results in their phase III clinical trial of Inbrija (formerly known as CVT-301 – Click here to read a previous post about this). They have subsequently filed a New Drug Application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make this inhalable form of L-dopa available in the clinic, but the application has been delayed due to manufacturing concerns from the FDA (Click here to read more about this). These issues should be solvable – the company and the FDA are working together on these matters – and the product will hopefully be available in the new year.

So what was the news yesterday?

Acorda Therapeutics has another experimental product going through the clinical trial process for Parkinson’s disease.

It’s called Tozadenant.

Source: Focusbio

Tozadenant is an oral adenosine A2a receptor antagonist (and yes, we’ll discuss what all that means in a moment).

Yesterday Acorda Therapeutics Inc announced that they have halted new recruitment for their phase III clinical program. In addition the company is increasing the frequency of blood cell count monitoring (from monthly to weekly) for participants already enrolled in the company’s Phase 3 program of Tozadenant for Parkinson’s disease.

The Company took this action due to reports of cases of agranulocytosis.

Continue reading “The Acorda’s Tozadenant Phase III clinical trials” →

PACAP and a snail model of Parkinson’s

~ Simon ~ 1 Comment

We are going to talk about a snail model of Parkinson’s disease. I kid you not.

Love them or hate them, recent research on snails is helping us to better understand a potential therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease, called Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (or PACAP).

In today’s post we will look at what PACAP is, outline the new snail research, and discuss what they mean for people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Snail2

The humble snail. Source: Warrenphotographic

In a recent post, I talked about a class of drugs called Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (or DPP-4) inhibitors (Click here to read that post). DPP-4 is a ubiquitous enzyme (it is present on most cells in your body) that breaks down certain proteins.

In that post, I listed some of the proteins that DPP-4 targets – they include:

  • Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)
  • Glucagon
  • Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)
  • Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2)
  • Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)
  • GHRH and IGF-1
  • High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)
  • Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC)
  • Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 α (MIP-1 α), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3-like 1 (CCL3L1), or LD78β
  • Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)
  • Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
  • Regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (Rantes)
  • Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)
  • Substance P (SP)

Lots of interesting proteins with regards to Parkinson’s disease on this list, including GLP-1 which has been turned in the drug Exenatide (which has demonstrated positive effects in recent clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease – click here and here to read more about this). Another interesting protein on the list is ‘Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor‘ (GM-CSF) which we have also discussed in a previous post (Click here to read that post). A synthetic version of GM-CSF (called Sargramostim) has recently been tested in a clinical trial of Parkinson’s disease in Nebraska, and the results of that Phase I trial have been very encouraging.

By treating people with DPP-4 inhibitors (also known as ‘gliptins’), one would be blocking the breaking down of these potentially beneficial proteins – increasing the general amount of GLP-1 and GMCSF that is floating around in the body.

EDITOR’S NOTE: DPP-4 inhibitors have not yet been clinically tested in Parkinson’s disease, and thus we have no idea if they are safe in people with this condition. They are being mentioned here purely as part of an academic discussion.

One protein on the list of DPP-4 targets above that we have not yet discussed is Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (or PACAP).

And today we are going to have a look at it.

Why?

Continue reading “PACAP and a snail model of Parkinson’s” →