NEW YORK, May 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Via OTC PR Wire -- Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTC Pink:AMBS) (the "Company" or AMBS), a US-based JLABS-alumnus biotechnology holding company, developing first-in-class orphan neurologic, regenerative medicine and ophthalmic therapies and diagnostics through its subsidiaries, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive option agreement with Leipzig University. The exclusive option agreement allows the Company to license rights to "LymPro Test 2.0" which incorporates LymPro Test results with those of amyloid PET imaging for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Under the terms of the agreement, Amarantus acquired an exclusive option to evaluate data produced from a German-based clinical study (LymPro PET 1) initiated in 2016 and completed in 2017 under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Arendt, the inventor of LymPro Test. Amarantus received a summary of the data on May 2, 2018. Upon exercising the Company's exclusive option, Amarantus and Leipzig will complete negotiations to license LymPro IP and data created from LymPro PET 1 to Amarantus, and collaborate on a confirmatory 20 subject trial (LymPro PET 2) currently enrolling under Dr. Arendt's supervision.
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About Alzheimer's Disease
According to the Alzheimer's Association, it is estimated that over 5.4 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Over 500,000 patients are diagnosed annually, with nearly one-in-eight older Americans affected by the disease. Alzheimer's disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The cost of unpaid care in the United States is estimated at over $210 billion annually. Total payments for care are estimated at over $200 billion annually, including $140 billion in cost to Medicare and Medicaid. Alzheimer's expenditures in the United States are expected to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2050. There is no cure or effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Worldwide, about 35.6 million individuals have the disease and, according to the World Health Organization, the number will double every 20 years to 115.4 million people with Alzheimer's by 2050.
About Dr. Arendt's research at Leipzig University
Dr. Th. Arendt is Professor of Neuroscience at Leipzig University where he runs the Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research. He has a 30-year record in R&D of therapeutic and diagnostic strategies of neurodegenerative disorders and made several seminal contributions to therapeutic concepts of Alzheimer's disease, including stem cell therapy and modulating tumor suppressor genes. In the early 1980's, he was involved in identifying the degeneration of the cholinergic system in Alzheimer's disease laying the basis for today's only available treatment. He is one of the pioneers of the "cell-cycle theory" of Alzheimer's disease, which he developed towards a diagnostic and therapeutic concept.
About LymPro Test
The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test) is a diagnostic blood test that determines the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and monocytes to withstand an exogenous mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. It is believed that certain diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease, are the result of compromised cellular machinery that leads to aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons which then leads to apoptosis. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain.
About Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.
Amarantus Bioscience Holdings (AMBS) is a JLABS alumnus biotechnology company developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases in the areas of neurology, regenerative medicine and orphan diseases through its subsidiaries. AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary Elto Pharma, Inc. has development rights to eltoprazine, a Phase 2b-ready small molecule indicated for Parkinson's disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia, Alzheimer's aggression and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. AMBS acquired the rights to the Engineered Skin Substitute program, a regenerative medicine-based approach for treating severe burns with full-thickness autologous skin grown in tissue culture that is being pursued by AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary Cutanogen Corporation. AMBS' wholly-owned subsidiary MANF Therapeutics, Inc. owns key intellectual property rights and licenses from a number of prominent universities related to the development of the therapeutic protein known as mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor ("MANF"). MANF Therapeutics, Inc. is developing MANF-based products as treatments for brain and ophthalmic disorders. MANF was discovered by the Company's Chief Scientific Officer John Commissiong, PhD. Dr. Commissiong discovered MANF from AMBS' proprietary discovery engine PhenoGuard. The Company also re-acquired rights to the Alzheimer's blood diagnostic LymPro Test , MSPrecise and NuroPro.
For further information please visit www.Amarantus.com, or connect with the Amarantus on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.
Amarantus Investor and Media Contact:
Howard Gostfrand
American Capital Ventures, Inc.
Office: 305-918-7000
Email: hg@amcapventures.com
Source: Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.