Enigma Biomedical USA awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Discovery and Development of Novel α-Synuclein PET Imaging Biomarker

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enigma Biomedical USA (EB USA) today announced that The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), has awarded EB USA $2 million for the discovery and initial preclinical development of a novel α-synuclein Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging biomarker. This funding is part of MJFF’s strategic research agenda focused on supporting objective tools to biologically measure and track the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) to improve clinical trial design.Misfolded α-synuclein — a protein that clumps in the brains of people who live with PD — is a fundamental hallmark of the disease resulting in its symptoms. A new staging framework aimed at defining PD and related neuronal α-synuclein diseases based on their underlying biology places conditions such as PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) along a shared continuum of progression — from disease risk to functional impairment — and underscores a standardized biological diagnosis.

The discovery research recognized by this award will be based on Nobel Prize-winning Click Chemistry and candidate screening techniques developed by Hartmuth Kolb, Ph. D., Chief Science Officer at EB USA and will be conducted at the University of Wisconsin, where Dr Kolb serves as a Visiting Professor. Dr Kolb is widely recognized as a leading expert on biomarkers for neurodegeneration, and led the team which discovered the leading first-generation Tau PET imaging biomarker

Today, Parkinson's disease is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the world with an estimated 10 million impacted. Parkinson’s disease involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons associated with the accumulation of α- synuclein pathology, and is characterized by motor symptoms in addition to other non-motor complications. The ability to detect α-synuclein with a new PET tracer promises to revolutionize Parkinson’s disease research and clinical care. As has been the case with Alzheimer’s disease, the availability of such a biomarker should enable and accelerate development of new disease-targeted therapies.

Dr. Kolb commented, “We are extremely grateful to The Michael J Fox Foundation for this recognition and generous support and are excited to begin the work, which we hope will have a significant impact on improving management of this devastating disease.”

“EB USA is very pleased with our growing partnership with The Michael J Fox Foundation, who share our commitment to addressing critical unmet needs in neurodegenerative disease as well as providing tools and technologies to support the development of disease targeted therapies,” said Rick Hiatt, President and CEO of EB USA.

“We are encouraged by the collective progress in the field being made to advance the diagnostic and therapeutic tools urgently needed to speed Parkinson’s drug development,” says Sohini Chowdhury, Chief Program Officer at The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We look forward to continued efforts from the Enigma Biomedical team in developing an imaging tracer for alpha-synuclein pathology, which has the potential to further optimize Parkinson’s diagnosis, strengthen clinical research design and help drive better treatments that patients and families are waiting for.”

About Enigma Biomedical – USA

Enigma Biomedical USA’s vision is to be the premier provider of imaging biomarkers for neurological pathologies, associated information technology, and related tools to accelerate the development, approval, and adoption of effective therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. EB’s neuroimaging biomarkers provide Pharma and Academic researchers with state-of-the-art tools for enabling Disease-Modifying Therapy development with the highest precision and accuracy. In pursuit of this vision, subsidiaries of EB have provided the best-in-class Tau and Amyloid PET imaging biomarkers, MK-6240 and NAV-4694, to our partners to enable their research efforts. EB also recently announced a partnership with AbbVie to explore their novel 4R Tau PET Imaging Biomarkers.