ProMIS' proprietary drug discovery and development platform highlighted forability to create novel antibodies, diagnostics and vaccine candidates for neurodegenerative diseases
TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Neil Cashman will be a member of the Speaking Faculty at the inaugural Protein Misfolding Drug Discovery Summit on October 28-29, 2020. Dr. Cashman joins speaking faculty from AbbVie, Neurimmune, Cambridge University Centre for Misfolding Diseases & Wren Therapeutics, Northwestern University, Prothena, Treventis and Yumanity to discuss the accelerated development of therapies for unmet neurodegenerative, metabolic and ophthalmic diseases as well as cancer.
Proteins that misfold and aggregate to form toxic oligomers in the central nervous system are considered a root cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These diseases lack effective therapies in large part because classical drug discovery and development approaches cannot selectively target the toxic oligomer with adequate precision. At this inaugural conference, intended to help shift this drug design and discovery paradigm, Dr. Cashman will highlight the unique ability of ProMIS' proprietary drug discovery and development platform to address this enormous unmet need in his presentation, "Precision immunotherapies for protein misfolding diseases: the ProMIS platform."
The ProMIS platform relies on a proprietary blend of physics, biology and supercomputing to rapidly and cost-effectively identify unique binding sites, called disease-specific epitopes (DSEs), on complex protein structures. ProMIS uses these DSEs to create peptide antigens, which are novel drug development tools that precisely mirror the sequence and shape (conformation) of these DSEs. This unique process enables the creation of antibody and vaccine candidates and potential diagnostics that are selective for the toxic form of proteins responsible for disease. Presently, the ProMIS portfolio in neurodegenerative diseases includes antibody therapeutic candidates for AD, PD and ALS, in addition to the recently announced development of a multivalent vaccine for AD.
"Protein misfolding is a root cause of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, as well as other disease states such as certain cancers," said Dr. Neil Cashman. "Based on our unique technology platform we have created therapeutic antibody and vaccine candidates that are highly specific for the toxic form of misfolded proteins and can add to emerging capabilities in the measurement of blood-based biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases, potentially leading to the ability to diagnose, treat and eventually prevent Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. By sharing our experiences with the larger community focused on protein misfolding diseases, we hope to help impact the broad spectrum of diseases with high unmet need for which protein abnormalities are a root cause."
Protein Misfolding Drug Discovery 2020 will occur virtually on October 28-29, 2020. Participants may register online.
About ProMIS Neurosciences
ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company whose unique core technology is the ability to rationally predict the site and shape (conformation) of novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes (DSEs) on the molecular surface of proteins. In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, ALS and Parkinson's disease, the DSEs are misfolded regions on toxic forms of otherwise normal proteins. In the infectious disease setting, these DSEs represent peptide antigens that can be used as an essential component to create accurate and sensitive serological assays to detect the presence of antibodies that arise in response to a specific infection, such as COVID-19. ProMIS proprietary peptide antigens can also be used to create potential therapeutic antibodies, as well as serve as the basis for development of vaccines. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.
Visit us at www.promisneurosciences.com, follow us on Twitterand LinkedIn. To learn more about protein misfolding diseases, listen to Episode 15 of the Saving Minds podcast at iTunesor Spotify.
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