Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain

Advisory group guidance enables nonprofit to be at the forefront of Alzheimer\'s research WELLESLEY HILLS, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 14, 2025 / Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund announced today that six scientists specializing in Alzheimer\'s disease and related research have joined its Research Leadership Group (RLG).The expertise and active engagement of the RLG guide Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund to support research with the highest probability of preventing, slowing or reversing Alzheimer\'s disease. RLG members provide vital insights into emerging and innovative scientific ideas from labs around the world and are a main source of referrals to promising researchers and their work. Additionally, the RLG plays a crucial role in shaping the nonprofit\'s grant portfolio strategy by providing critical feedback and recommendations. Since its inception in 2004, Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund has distributed more than $219 million in grants.\"Our Research Leadership Group and their collective scientific expertise and knowledge are tremendous assets to our organization,\" said Meg Smith, CEO of Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund. \"Their counsel ensures we fund the most promising avenues of research that will advance our understanding of Alzheimer\'s disease and move us closer to effective treatments.\"Laura M. Cox, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women\'s Hospital. Her lab is currently investigating the role of the microbiome in neurologic diseases, including Alzheimer\'s disease, Parkinson\'s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Cox established her lab in the fall of 2021 and is identifying age-related changes in the gut microbiota that may affect Alzheimer\'s disease by modulating peripheral and central immunity.Alison Goate, D. Phil., is the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has worked on the genetics of neurodegenerative diseases since 1987. Over the last three decades, Dr. Goate has been part of many gene-finding teams that have successfully identified disease-causing variants for both Alzheimer\'s disease and frontotemporal dementia.Teresa Gomez-Isla, M.D., is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, chief of the Memory Division in the Neurology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital, associate director and clinical core leader of the Massachusetts Alzheimer\'s Disease Research Center and director of the MGH Clinical Fellowship in Dementia Program. Her current research focuses on the study of brain changes associated with aging, especially those that occur very early on in Alzheimer\'s disease; on understanding mechanisms of brain resilience to Alzheimer\'s pathology; and on the validation of novel imaging biomarkers for early disease detection and intervention.Costantino Iadecola, M.D., is the director and chair of the Feil Family Brain & Mind Research Institute and the Anne Parrish Titzell Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Considered a pioneer in establishing the concept of neurovascular unit, his research focuses on the basic mechanisms of neurovascular function and on the cellular and molecular alterations underlying ischemic brain injury, neurodegeneration and other conditions associated with cognitive impairment.Leonard Petrucelli, Ph.D., is the Ralph B. and Ruth K. Abrams Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic in Florida, and serves as vice chair for the Florida Alzheimer\'s Disease Research Grant Advisory Board, chief scientific adviser for Target ALS and on the Scientific Advisory Board for Science Translational Medicine. His laboratory has been at the forefront of research investigating the cellular mechanisms that cause neurodegeneration in diseases characterized by abnormal protein aggregation like Alzheimer\'s disease.Andrew S. Yoo, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He has a longstanding interest in understanding genetic pathways that specify cell fates during development, and currently studies the role of microRNAs in regulating the activity of chromatin remodeling complexes during neural development and conversion of nonneuronal cells into neurons.Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to funding the most promising research to prevent, slow or reverse Alzheimer\'s disease. Since its founding in 2004, Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund has provided 918 grants to more than 300 of the world\'s leading researchers and contributed more than $219 million to research. Its funded initiatives have been responsible for many key breakthroughs in understanding the causes and pathology of Alzheimer\'s disease. Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund has achieved a 100% perfect score and a Four-Star rating for 13 consecutive years from Charity Navigator. Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund also received a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, formerly known as GuideStar. Our Board of Directors, Trustees and a core group of other donors direct their donations to our overhead expenses so that 100% of general donations go to our research program. For more information, visit CureAlz.org.Contact DetailsBarbara Chambers+1 978-417-9890[email protected]Company Websitehttps://curealz.orgSOURCE: ALZHEIMER\'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION

NORFOLK, Va.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address rare and acute inflammatory diseases, today announced positive preclinical data for its lead asset RLS-0071 (pegtarazimod) in acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGVHD). These data will be presented in a poster session at the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego, California. The research, conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Zeiser at the University of Freiburg, demonstrated that pegtarazimod significantly increased survival rates in multiple mouse models of aGVHD, showing effectiveness both when used preventively and as a treatment (Holzmüller V., et al. ASH 2024) . In prevention studies using a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatch model, pegtarazimod treatment from Days 0-7 improved overall survival to Day 60 compared to vehicle control. Early intervention treatment with pegtarazimod initiated on Day 7 also significantly improved survival of mice developing aGVHD. “These data demonstrate efficacy of pegtarazimod in both prevention and early intervention settings in mice developing acute GVHD,” commented Dr. Robert Zeiser, Professor of Medicine at the Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Medical Center, University of Freiburg. “Particularly noteworthy is pegtarazimod's protective effect on intestinal tissue in mice, as intestinal manifestations are a significant driver of mortality in aGVHD patients.” The study revealed that pegtarazimod works through several mechanisms to reduce inflammation and tissue damage. Treatment with pegtarazimod significantly reduced serum levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), a key enzyme released by activated neutrophils, by approximately 50%, and neutrophil elastase levels by approximately 50%, indicating decreased neutrophil activation and inflammation. Prior work by the Zeiser laboratory had shown the neutrophils contribute to GVHD in the mouse model (Nature Med. 2014 Jun;20(6):648-54. doi: 10.1038/nm.3517) . In splenic neutrophils, pegtarazimod treatment resulted in significant reductions in multiple inflammatory markers, including TNF, IL-1β, and MCP-1/CCL2. In lab-grown intestinal tissue (organoids), pegtarazimod demonstrated significant protective effects under inflammatory conditions, improving viability by approximately 40% and reducing cell damage by 25% as measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, a marker of cell death and tissue injury. Histological analysis revealed that pegtarazimod treatment significantly reduced GVHD scores across multiple organs in both prevention and early intervention studies, with particularly notable improvements in the colon, liver, and small intestine. “These results highlight pegtarazimod's unique dual mechanism to simultaneously target complement and neutrophil-mediated inflammation at the earliest and most destructive points in the inflammatory cascade,” said Paolo Martini, Ph.D., Chief Research and Development Officer of ReAlta. “These data add to the comprehensive body of research supporting pegtarazimod’s therapeutic potential, as we advance our Phase 2 trial on a path towards addressing the pressing unmet need in aGVHD.” ReAlta is currently enrolling a Phase 2, open-label clinical trial of RLS-0071 in patients with steroid-refractory aGVHD at clinical sites in the United States, Germany, and Spain. To learn more, visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06343792 About ReAlta Life Sciences ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. is a clinical mid-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address life threatening rare and acute inflammatory diseases. The Company’s EPICC peptide platform is based on discoveries related to the human astrovirus, HAstV-1, which causes a non-inflammatory, self-limiting gastroenteritis by inhibiting components of the innate immune system – a trait unique among viruses. By inhibiting activation of the complement cascade and two key neutrophil-driven mechanisms of inflammation and host tissue destruction – myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), ReAlta’s therapeutic peptides leverage the dual-targeting mechanisms of this human enteric virus – and its millions of years of evolutionary adaptations – to modulate both complement and innate inflammatory pathways. The Company’s pipeline is led by RLS-0071 (pegtarazimod), which has received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation by the European Medicines Agency, for the treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating disease that causes brain damage in oxygen-deprived newborns and is a leading cause of cerebral palsy; Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the FDA for the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a disease associated with bone marrow and stem cell transplants whereby transplanted white blood cells attack the new host in an inflammatory response; and IND clearance by the FDA for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease characterized by progressive airflow limitations and tissue destruction that makes it challenging for patients to breathe. The company launched in 2018 and is located in Norfolk, Virginia and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.realtalifesciences.com .

NORFOLK, Va.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address rare and acute inflammatory diseases, today announced a poster presentation of its lead asset, RLS-0071 (pegtarazimod), will be presented at the 66 th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, being held December 7-10, 2024, in San Diego, California. ReAlta is developing pegtarazimod, a synthetic peptide derived from human astrovirus serotype 1, as a potential treatment for acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGVHD), a serious complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, as well as pulmonary and neurological conditions. Pegtarazimod is a dual-action anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits both the complement cascade and neutrophil-mediated inflammation. Pegtarazimod has previously demonstrated an excellent safety profile and target engagement in a Phase 1 study of healthy volunteers, with no treatment-related or serious adverse events reported. A Phase 2, open-label clinical trial of pegtarazimod for hospitalized patients with steroid-refractory aGVHD ( NCT06343792 ) is currently enrolling at clinical sites located within the United States, Germany and Spain. The data to be presented at the upcoming ASH meeting explores the underlying mechanisms of pegtarazimod in a preclinical model of aGVHD using different investigational methods. This data was generated from experiments conducted within the laboratory of Dr. Robert Zeiser at the University of Freiburg – one of the leading laboratories investigating the underlying pathogenesis and potential treatments for aGVHD. Poster presentation details: Title: Exploring a Novel Anti-Inflammatory Peptide as Potential Treatment for Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease (aGVHD) Presenter: Verena Holzmüller, PhD candidate in the laboratory of Robert Zeiser, M.D., at the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg Presentation: Poster #194793; Location San Diego Convention Center, Halls G-H Session: 701. Experimental Transplantation: Basic and Translational: Poster II Date/Time: Sunday, December 8, 2024, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM The abstract can be accessed on the ASH website at https://www.hematology.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts . About ReAlta Life Sciences ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. is a clinical mid-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address life threatening rare and acute inflammatory diseases. The Company’s EPICC peptide platform is based on discoveries related to the human astrovirus, HAstV-1, which causes a non-inflammatory, self-limiting gastroenteritis by inhibiting components of the innate immune system – a trait unique among viruses. By inhibiting activation of the complement cascade and two key neutrophil-driven mechanisms of inflammation and host tissue destruction – myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), ReAlta’s therapeutic peptides leverage the dual-targeting mechanisms of this human enteric virus – and its millions of years of evolutionary adaptations – to modulate both complement and innate inflammatory pathways. The Company’s pipeline is led by RLS-0071 (pegtarazimod), which has received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation by the European Medicines Agency, for the treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating disease that causes brain damage in oxygen-deprived newborns and is a leading cause of cerebral palsy; Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation by the FDA for the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a disease associated with bone marrow and stem cell transplants whereby transplanted white blood cells attack the new host in an inflammatory response; and IND clearance by the FDA for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease characterized by progressive airflow limitations and tissue destruction that makes it challenging for patients to breathe. The company launched in 2018 and is located in Norfolk, Virginia and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.realtalifesciences.com .