Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United
States,
affecting approximately 700,000 people per year. The estimated cost to
the healthcare system is $73 billion annually. Approximately 80% of
strokes are ischemic.
Ischemic strokes are caused by a blockage of the blood flow to the
brain. This may be caused by a number of factors, including a blood
clot or narrowing of the arteries due to build up of fatty material.
The molecular chain of events following an ischemic stroke is a
multifactorial process involving multiple signaling pathways. The ideal
stroke therapeutic would target multiple parts of this cascade and have
anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant properties. Previous
clinical attempts to develop drugs for stroke through targeting single
specific processes, such as free radical scavengers (Cerovive; Renovis)
or NMDA antagonism (Cerestat; Boehringer Ingelheim), have not been
successful.
Currently only one FDA-approved ischemic stroke therapeutic is on the
market, Activase (Genentech). This drug works by degrading the clot and
has no direct impact on other pathological processes associated with
the ischemia. In addition, its use is limited to administration within
three hours of the incidence of the stroke, leading to only 4% of acute
stroke patients receiving the drug.
GM6 and
Stroke
Through in vitro and in
vivo studies, GM6 has demonstrated its ability to affect the expression
of numerous genes, including those involved in neurogenesis, neural
development and neural signaling. These findings indicate that GM6 may
function as a master switch that signals through multiple neural
pathways, such as PI3 kinase.
In a study published in
Brain Research, GM6 demonstrated its ability to exert neuroprotective
effects in a mouse model of stroke. In this study, GM6 was found to
increase neurogenesis as well as decrease apotosis and inflammation in
the mouse brain. In addition, GM6 was able to penetrate the blood-brain
barrier.
Further research has also
found that GM6 induces the expression of anti-inflammatory,
anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant proteins. These are important
neuroprotective proteins with application for the treatment of acute
ischemic stroke.
GM6 Has
Additional
Applications
Due to its neurologically
active properties, Genervon is also conducting preclinical research
exploring the use of GM6 to treat other neurological disorders. In a
variety of in vitro and in vivo models, GM6 has shown neuroregenerative
and neuroprotective properties. MNTF has been shown to have
neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic properties as well and may play a
role in stem cell differentiation into motoneurons.
These findings indicate
that GM6 is a promising treatment for Parkinson’s disease,
Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injuries, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and
Huntington’s disease.
