Oxford BioMedica
plc Awarded $0.5 Million Grant for Motor Neuron Disease Programme
Oxford
BioMedica Plc (LSE: OXB) announced today that it has been
awarded a grant of $0.5 million to support its motor neuron
disease (MND) programme. The grant comes from the USA charity
Andrew’s Buddies/FightSMA, which is dedicated to the
development of treatments for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA),
a form of motor neuron disease that is one of the most common
causes of death in childhood.
SMA is
caused by a defect in the SMN-1 gene. It affects 1 in every
6,000 births and 1 in 40 people are carriers. The defect leads
to a degeneration of motor neurons in the spinal cord with
concomitant systemic loss of muscle function. In the most
severe form of the disease, weakness of the respiratory muscles
results in death usually before the age of two years. The
product strategy is to replace the defective gene using the
Company’s proprietary LentiVector® carrying
the SMN-1 gene. Oxford BioMedica retains all commercial rights
arising from the grant-funded programme and the Company anticipates
having a clinical stage product within two years
The SMA
product is part of Oxford BioMedica’s motor neuron disease
programme that also includes the development candidate MoNuDinä
for the most common form of MND, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS). ALS has an estimated market of $200 million. Both products
use Oxford BioMedica’s proprietary LentiVector®
gene delivery technology and are at the preclinical stage
of development. At present there are no products that make
a major impact on these devastating diseases.
“We
are delighted to fund this ground-breaking initiative. The
work of Oxford BioMedica breathes new hope into the lives
of countless parents and their children who suffer with SMA.”
said Martha Slay, president of Andrew’s Buddies/FightSMA.
Commenting
on the grant from Andrew’s Buddies/FightSMA, Oxford
BioMedica’s Chief Executive, Professor Alan Kingsman
said “The development of novel products for neurological
disease is the largest growth area in pharmaceutical research.
Oxford BioMedica has an exceptional capability in this area
and is developing a pipeline of products of which the lead
is ProSavin® for Parkinson’s disease.
We are delighted that Andrew’s Buddies/FightSMA have
recognised the quality of our technology and we look forward
to working together towards an effective treatment for this
inherited disease that brings so much sorrow to afflicted
families.”
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