Amorfix to present latest data from human Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Test at Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), showing ability to accurately identify early-stage patients
TSX: AMF
TORONTO, June 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. announced today that Dr. Marni Uger, Director of Research and Development, will present a talk entitled "Amorfix EP-AD Diagnostic CSF Test for Accurate Identification of Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment", on Monday, July 16, 2012 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Dr. Uger will review a comprehensive analysis of data from approximately 200 clinical samples using Amorfix's EP-AD CSF test, which measures the levels of aggregated Abeta in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a recognized biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results show statistically significant differences in the levels of aggregated Abeta between samples from normal subjects and both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients. The EP-AD CSF Test is more sensitive at identifying MCI individuals than the current AD CSF biomarkers (monomeric Abeta 42, Tau, and phospho-Tau).
The Company is also announcing that it has found a statistically significant correlation between aggregated Abeta levels and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores in normal aged individuals. This suggests that the EP-AD test may be able to capture the transition from normal aging to MCI. The Company is now planning a longitudinal study to expand and confirm these initial results.
Dr. Neil Cashman, Amorfix's Chief Scientific Officer, said, "to our knowledge, there is no other biochemical test that has ever been able to capture the transition from normal aging to MCI. The importance of this potential finding is that it represents a way to identify patients with very early stage disease for treatment to block disease progression."
Alzheimer's disease progresses through three defined phases: a stage characterized by amyloid buildup in the brain without any symptoms of the disease, MCI predominantly affecting memory function, and full-blown Alzheimer's disease. However, loss of memory is very common in normal aging, and does not necessarily indicate Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Robert Gundel, President and CEO of Amorfix said "these very exciting results put Amorfix at the forefront of AD diagnostic development and may make the EP-AD CSF test even more useful to researchers for the diagnosis and stratification of Alzheimer's disease patients into clinical trials, for early and accurate clinical trial enrolment".
About Alzheimer's Disease
More than 35 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and accounts for an estimated 60-80 percent of cases. As the population around the world ages, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease is predicted to increase significantly. Barring a significant medical breakthrough, predictions are that cases of dementia will nearly double every 20 years, and by 2040 the number of cases around the world will quadruple to approximately 81 million people. A major stumbling block to the development of effective therapies is the absence of robust biomarkers that can be used for early detection and clinical monitoring during clinical trials. There is an obvious need for a diagnostic tool that can properly identify patients with AD in order for current therapeutics to be effective, and for enrollment into clinical trials designed to target these biomarker proteins.
About Amorfix
Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. (TSX:AMF) is an early-stage product development company developing therapeutic antibodies and diagnostics targeting misfolded protein diseases. Amorfix utilizes its computational discovery platform, ProMIS™, to predict novel Disease Specific Epitopes (DSEs) on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this technology, Amorfix is developing novel antibody therapeutics and companion diagnostics for cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition, Amorfix has developed two proprietary technologies to specifically identify very low levels of misfolded proteins in a biological sample: Epitope Protection™ and AMFIA™, an ultra-sensitive dual-bead immunoassay. Use of these technologies has generated a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) screening test for Alzheimer's disease, and an ultrasensitive method for detecting the hallmark of AD, aggregated beta-Amyloid, in brain tissue, CSF and blood from animal models of AD. For more information about Amorfix, visit www.amorfix.com.
The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release may contain certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law.
ProMIS™, Epitope Protection™ and AMFIA™ are trademarks of Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd.
Dr. Robert Gundel
President and Chief Executive Officer
Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd.
Tel: (416) 847-6957
Fax: (416) 847-6899
[email protected]
Janet Clennett
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd.
Tel: (416) 847-6926
Fax: (416) 847-6899
[email protected]
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