neurodegenerative diseases

Lilly drug slows Alzheimer’s by 35%, bolstering treatment approach

May 4, 2023Tamas Sohajdacarbohydrates, drug developmentalzheimers, brain health, monoclonal antibodies, neurodegenerative diseases

Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug donanemab slows cognitive decline by 35% in PhIII
An experimental Alzheimer’s drug developed by Eli Lilly and Company slowed cognitive decline by 35% in a late-stage trial, providing what experts say is the strongest evidence yet that removing sticky amyloid plaques from the brain benefits patients with the fatal disease.
Lilly’s drug, donanemab, met all goals of the trial: It slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s by 35% compared to a placebo in 1,182 people with an early-stage disease whose brains had deposits of two key Alzheimer’s proteins, beta-amyloid as well as intermediate levels of tau, a protein linked with disease progression and brain cell death.

See the article on reuters.com: Lilly drug slows Alzheimer’s by 35%, bolstering treatment approach

Hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases

Feb 20, 2023Tamas Sohajdacarbohydratesneurodegenerative diseases

An important review of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases for like-minded researchers who deal with this challenging field. The framework can serve as a basis for defining pathogenic mechanisms, categorizing different NDDs based on their primary hallmarks, stratifying patients within a specific NDD, and designing multi-targeted, personalized medicine to halt NDDs effectively.
Thank you for this excellent compilation!
Hasselt University/National Institute Of Aging/KU Leuven/Washington University in St. Louis/University of Gothenburg – David M Wilson III, Mark Cookson, Ludo Van Den Bosch, Henrik Zetterberg, David Holtzman, Ilse Dewachter

See the full article here.

Cyclo Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2b Study of Trappsol® Cyclo™ for the Treatment of Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Jan 10, 2023Tamas Sohajdacarbohydratesalzheimers, cholesterol, clinical trial, neurodegenerative diseases, rare disease

Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. announces first patient dosed in Phase 2b study of Trappsol® Cyclo™ for treating early Alzheimer’s disease.

Trappsol® Cyclo™ is the Company’s proprietary formulation of hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin. In multiple clinical studies, it has shown encouraging results in effectively managing the transportation of cholesterol, a known defect in neurodegenerative diseases. Many known risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are associated with cholesterol metabolism.

Cyclo Therapeutics is currently testing the same investigational Trappsol® Cyclo™ drug in Phase 3 clinical trial (TransportNPC™) and a long-term extension study for the treatment of Niemann-Pick disease Type C1, a rare, fatal, and progressive genetic disorder. Taking the place of the defective NPC1 protein, Trappsol® Cyclo™, with its cyclic structure, facilitates the transport of accumulated cholesterol out of cellular lysosomes so it can be further processed and excreted out of cells. With the biological similarities demonstrated between Niemann-Pick disease Type C1 and Alzheimer’s disease, including cholesterol accumulation in regions of the brain, elevated levels of Tau in cerebrospinal fluid (“CSF”), and amyloid plaques in the brain, the Company believes Trappsol® Cyclo™ has significant potential to be an effective treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease.

Read the full announcement here

Cyclodextrins: Only Pharmaceutical Excipients or Full-Fledged Drug Candidates?

Nov 25, 2022Tamas SohajdaToday's cyclodextrinatherosclerosis, cholesterol, infectious diseases, lipid, neurodegenerative diseases, rare disease

What is the future of cyclodextrin: excipient or API?
A very timely review from University of Debrecen (Gyorgy Panyi, Florina Zakany, et al.) discussing #molecular targets, mechanism of action, and ongoing research in several diseases. Which do you think holds the future?

See the full article here

Effects of Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin on Cultured Brain Endothelial Cells

Nov 16, 2022Tamas Sohajdadrug developmentalzheimers, brain research, neurodegenerative diseases, rare disease

Heartwarming to see such important findings published by Hungarian researchers on the effects of Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin on Cultured Brain Endothelial Cells. Cytotoxicity, permeability, and cellular internalization of HPBCD on primary rat and immortalized human (hCMEC/D3) brain capillary endothelial cells were investigated, which can help to develop new strategies for improved HPBCD effects after systemic administration.

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New clinical trial upcoming using cyclodextrin as active

Nov 11, 2022Tamas Sohajdacarbohydratesalzheimers, clinical trial, fda, neurodegenerative diseases

Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. sponsors Phase II trial for early Alzheimer’s disease. The study will enroll approximately 90 male and female patients aged 50 to 80 years who will be given a minimum active dose of 500 mg/kg of Trappsol Cyclo (equivalent to 18,500 mg/m2) as an intravenous (IV) infusion once every 28 days for 6 months.
We wish the best of success to our colleagues at Cyclo Therapeutics and hope this therapy will prove useful for the benefit of these patients.
Having programs ourselves in developing NCEs for neurodegenerative diseases, we find this study particularly essential.