Source: Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd.
Tuesday September 5, 4:17 pm ET
TORONTO, Sept. 5 /CNW/ - Amorfix Life Sciences Inc. and the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) announced today the achievement of the technical milestone of demonstrating that Amorfix's Epitope Protection (EP) technology is able to detect protected sites within Abeta amyloid aggregates which are formed in Alzheimer's disease. With this advancement, Amorfix will be committing additional resources to develop an ultra-sensitive blood test for Alzheimer's disease, EP-AD(TM), based upon Amorfix's patent-pending EP technology.
Dr. George Adams, Amorfix's CEO said, "I am very pleased that OGI's scientific review process has determined we have met this important technical milestone and we will continue to aim to be the first to develop a definitive blood test for Alzheimer's."
Alzheimer's disease is associated with an accumulation of protein aggregates, called amyloid, in the brain. Recent research has shown that these amyloid aggregates result from aggregation of misfolded Abeta protein fragments. Abeta is present in blood and the company believes Abeta amyloid aggregates are also present in the circulation in Alzheimer's patients. Dr. Neil Cashman, Amorfix's CSO, said, "Until now, it has been very difficult to detect aggregated misfolded proteins in blood where the normal protein is abundant. With the knowledge that Epitope Protection works on Abeta amyloid aggregates, we are now in a position to finish our development and validate a blood test for Alzheimer's disease."
"We are very excited to see Amorfix achieve this milestone as an example of the translation of leading research discoveries for public benefit", said Dr. Christian Burks, OGI President and CEO. "Ontario, with its leading-edge genomics and proteomics research community, is uniquely positioned to foster advances in our understanding of the role of protein misfolding and aggregation in human disease, and Amorfix is uniquely positioned to apply this understanding to discovery of better diagnostics tools and therapies for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases."
Pursuant to the subscription agreement executed January 30, 2006, OGI will now invest its second tranche of $50,000 in Amorfix. This transaction is subject to acceptance for filing by the TSX Venture Exchange.
About OGI
The Ontario Genomics Institute is a private, not-for-profit corporation focused on building a globally-competitive life sciences industry in Ontario. Through its relationship with Genome Canada and the newly created Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI) as well as other private and public sector partners, OGI helps Ontario-based scientists secure funding for genomics-driven research and commercialization.
About Amorfix
Amorfix is an emerging theranostics company focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, where aggregated misfolded proteins (AMPs) are prevalent. These include aggregated misfolded prion protein which makes up "prions," the infectious agents of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE), such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or "mad cow disease") and the human form, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), as well as degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's Disease (PD). Amorfix was formed to commercialize epitope protection technologies and related discoveries to become the world leader on AMP diseases. The company will use this new knowledge to develop diagnostic kits, therapeutics and prophylactics for AMP diseases.
The TSX Venture Exchange 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. Actual future results may differ materially from those contemplated. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence the actual results are described in documents filed with regulatory authorities.
For further information
visit www.OntarioGenomics.ca or contact: Dr. Christian Burks, President & CEO, Ontario Genomics Institute, (416) 673-6598, CBurks@OntarioGenomics.ca
visit the website at www.amorfix.com or contact: Dr. George Adams, President and CEO, Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd., (416) 557-4647, george.adams@amorfix.com
James Parsons, CFO Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd., (416) 482-3814, james.parsons@amorfix.com