The potential for a drug to slow down the progression of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is to be explored after trials secured funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The development of M102, a drug candidate for the treatment of MND, has been given a £1.6 million grant, with researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), in partnership with Aclipse Therapeutics, looking to advance its potential.
The neuroprotective properties of M102 were discovered by SITraN researchers in 2013, and pre-clinical models evidenced the potential for M102 to slow down MND progression. The latest study could help develop a personalised medicine approach.
Researchers also believe that as well as MND – also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which affects around 5,000 people in the UK at any one time, and 25,000 in the US – the potential for M102 could also extend to other neurological conditions including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s.
“M102 has the potential to significantly slow down the disease progression in both familial and sporadic MND patients,” says principal Investigator on the project, Dr Richard Mead.
“The MRC grant will allow us to develop patient stratification biomarkers that will be applied in the M102 clinical studies, potentially enabling a personalised medicine approach in MND.
“This means that we can identify those who do and do not respond to M102 so we can target the treatment at those MND patients who are most likely to benefit. In addition, we will conduct, in collaboration with Aclipse, all the necessary development needed to reach the clinic.”
“This project will use a methodology developed by my lab team to allow us to identify gene signatures that can discriminate between responders and non-responders to selected drugs,” continues Dr Laura Ferraiuolo, co-applicant on the project.
“Our future aim is to be able to identify the best drug for each patient, making a huge step forward in drug efficacy and patient wellbeing.”
Raymond K. Houck, CEO of Aclipse Therapeutics, adds: “The MRC award, coupled with our recent FightMND grant award, accelerates M102’s development into its first-in-human clinical studies and validates M102’s biology and potential for a precision medicine approach for the treatment of MND.
“The research funding from these programs will be key as they will support the completion of our investigational new drug (IND)-enabling work and the regulatory filings for first-in-human studies.
“Importantly, M102 may have applications in a wide array of conditions associated with impaired neuronal function such as Friedreich’s ataxia, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.”
