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ProteoTech Receives Funding From The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research to Develop Tolls for Imaging Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation in Living Parkinson's Brain

Posted on: Thursday, 26 February 2009, 13:45 CST

KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb 26 /PRNewswire/ -- ProteoTech Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research. In collaboration with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc. (Philadelphia, PA), ProteoTech scientists will utilize ProteoTech's small molecule platform drug technology to develop new imaging agents that will allow doctors to use PET imaging to identify and determine the extent of alpha-synuclein accumulation in the living human brain. Alpha-synuclein is a major protein identified in Lewy bodies in the Parkinson's disease brain, and its accumulation in brain is believed to be important in the motor dysfunction observed in Parkinson's patients. The one-and-a-half year project entitled "18-F-labeled Alpha-Synuclein Ligands for PET Imaging of Lewy Bodies" will be led by Dr. Alan Snow, Chairman, President & Chief Scientific Officer of ProteoTech, and Dr. Franz Hefti, Chief Scientific Officer of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/SF76109LOGO)

ProteoTech is currently in its 4th year of a LEAPS award funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research to develop a new small molecule targeting alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's brain. ProteoTech's Synuclere(TM) has been demonstrated to inhibit alpha-synuclein aggregation in the brains of genetically engineered mice that develop motor dysfunction, when alpha-synuclein deposits aggregate and accumulate in brain. The LEAPS award consortium led by Dr. Alan Snow of ProteoTech includes research teams from University of California-San Diego, Boston University, Boston College and Medchem Source Inc.

About ProteoTech: ProteoTech is a private drug development Company founded in 1996 that is a world-leader in therapeutics targeting amyloid diseases. With over 175 patents in its intellectual property estate, ProteoTech is in human clinical trials for its orally active small molecule drug Exebryl-1 for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. The Company is in late-stage pre-clinical development with Synuclere(TM) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and Systebryl(TM) for the treatment of Systemic Amyloidosis. ProteoTech is also in late stage pre-clinical development for a novel small peptide called PeptiClere(TM) as a nasal spray for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Lastly, ProteoTech is developing a novel small molecule compound for the treatment of amyloidosis associated with type 2 diabetes. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.proteotech.com or contact us at info@proteotech.com

SOURCE ProteoTech Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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