SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amydis Inc., a privately held clinical-stage company pioneering a platform of diagnostic drug candidates targeting molecular biomarkers in the eye, today announced it has been awarded a third grant for $1.5M from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). This grant will support the first-in-human study of a retinal tracer targeting alpha-synuclein (ASYN) in a Prospective Randomized Open, Blinded Endpoint (PROBE) clinical study which is currently enrolling participants. Additional information regarding the Phase 1/2a trial (NCT05542576) may be found at Fox Trial Finder.
“We are honored to receive this third grant award which marks a longstanding collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation,” said Dr. Stella Sarraf, chief executive officer and founder of Amydis. “There are no approved diagnostics to detect ASYN in vivo and the eye provides an easy, affordable way to assess the presence of ASYN in CNS tissue. Funding from the prestigious MJFF will aid Amydis’ mission to develop the first molecular tracer enabling direct visualization of ASYN in the retina.”
Visual symptoms are prevalent in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and often start in the prodromal stage preceding cardinal PD tremor, providing an opportunity to capture patients at an early stage of the disease. The Amydis technology uses a fluorescent, non-radioactive imaging agent designed to detect and quantify ASYN in the retina during a simple eye scan using ocular imaging devices already in wide use. Quantification of ASYN provides a valuable diagnostic aid, and potentially an objective and efficient outcome measure to evaluate disease-modifying therapies, which can transform drug development and positively impact patients’ lives.
"Amydis has embarked on the mission to make possible the detection of ASYN years before PD symptoms are apparent, enabling treatment of patients earlier and more accurately which is critical to disease management,“ stated Irene Litvan, MD, the Tasch Endowed Chair of Parkinson’s Disease Research, Director of the Parkinson and Other Movement Disorder Center at the University of California, San Diego and member of the Safety and Monitoring Committee for PROBE. “An alpha-synuclein retinal tracer can also non-invasively facilitate the clinical development of new disease-modifying therapeutics. This first-in-human study is a major milestone toward that goal."
About Amydis, Inc.
Amydis is developing novel, patent-protected molecules—“ocular tracers”—that enable direct visualization of CNS disease-related molecular changes (biomarkers) in the eye. The Company has a discovery platform and proprietary know-how which uniquely positions them with first mover advantage to explore the eye for a broad spectrum of diseases that have to date required long-term clinical evaluation and the use of invasive testing for definitive diagnosis. Amydis is positioned as a global leader in developing ocular tracers for human diseases. The future of effective, sustainable healthcare depends on knowledge gained through early diagnostics.
Amydis Contact: Jack Thrift, Chief Financial Officer, jack@amydis.com.
