NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. (OTCBB:ILNS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-modifying therapeutic and diagnostic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases, today announced it obtained a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent allowance is in relation to TOC-1, a monoclonal antibody that selectively binds neurotoxic pre-fibrillar tau aggregates which are important pathological components in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative tauopathies. Intellect previously obtained development and commercialization rights to TOC-1 under an exclusive license agreement with Northwestern University.
New findings regarding the antibody were recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in a paper titled, "TOC1: Characterization of a Selective Oligomeric Tau Antibody" written by Lester Binder, Ph.D., the Abbott Laboratories, Duane and Susan Burnham Research Professor of Genetic and Molecular Medicine, at Northwestern University. These data underscore its potential as a powerful biochemical tool that can be used to better investigate the involvement of tau in neurodegenerative diseases.
"The new patent allowance from the USPTO awarded to Intellect Neurosciences is of particular significance in view of the considerable attention being given to the important role of pre-fibrillar aggregated forms of tau in the pathogenesis of AD and other tauopathies such as cortico-basal ganglia degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy," said Professor Moses V. Chao, Molecular Neurobiology Program Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine NYU School of Medicine. "TOC-1 reacts with brain pathology in each of these types of diseases and is undoubtedly an important biochemical tool that will be extremely helpful to academic and industry researchers".
The Company is exploring ways to commercialize TOC-1, initially as an essential tool which is required for research, but also for further development clinically.
About Intellect Neurosciences
Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. develops innovative approaches aimed at arresting or preventing Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, with a specific focus on proteinopathies. Intellect's pipeline includes therapeutic vaccines, antibodies and neuroprotective antibody drug conjugates. For more information, please visit www.intellectns.com.
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