ALZHEIMER’S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION AND AXXAM CONTINUE THEIR SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION TO DEVELOP NOVEL THERAPEUTICS FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
New York (USA) / Milan (Italy), 18th December 2014 – The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Axxam SpA (Axxam) announced today that ADDF has awarded a follow-on grant to Axxam to further develop small molecule drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease by targeting inflammation. This grant follows two previous awards by ADDF to Axxam in 2011 and 2013.
The award will continue to fund a drug discovery project to identify compounds that selectively block the purinergic receptor, P2X7, which is involved in inflammation in the brain. Research activities under the previous grants have identified a new class of promising P2X7 selective antagonists that are currently under full expansion as well as lead compounds suitable for in vivo assessment in pharmacological models.
“Compounds that potently and selectively block P2X7 may treat brain inflammation and can potentially be useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases,” said Howard Fillit, MD, Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer, ADDF. “P2X7 is an unexplored target for this indication and we are excited to fund the program and investigate its therapeutic potential.”
“We are very pleased to obtain continuing support from the ADDF with this peer-reviewed grant, which recognizes the quality of our research capabilities in the challenging field of neuroinflammation and our ability to deliver what was promised,” said Stefan Lohmer, co-founder and CEO of Axxam. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with the ADDF team and further move our Alzheimer’s disease program forward.”