Berwyn, PA, October 22, 2012: QR Pharma, Inc. (QR), a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing therapeutics with novel approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease(AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders, announced today that Dr. Maria Maccecchini, CEO, will be presenting new data on its lead compound “Posiphen® Recovers Memory, Learning and Brain Function in Alzheimer Transgenic Mice” at the 12th Annual Biotech Symposium, taking place October 22, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA. Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating disease characterized pathologically by plaques and tangles in the brain. These deposits contain the toxic proteins Ab42 and phospho-Tau. Posiphen inhibits the synthesis of these two toxic proteins and reverses cognitive decline and synaptic dysfunction, making it a promising drug to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Posiphen was tested in a model of cognitive impairment in transgenic Alzheimer mice to determine if the inhibition of these two toxic proteins reverted the cognitive decline and restored normal learning and memory function. Posiphen was administered orally once daily at 10 or 25 mg/kg to APPswe/PS1 transgenic mice for 10 weeks. After chronic treatment, Posiphen totally restored cognitive function as measured in two paradigms of memory and learning and totally restored long-term potentiation as measured by electrophysiology. The levels of APP/Ab42 and Tau/phospho-Tau also returned to normal, with no plaque detected in the treated mice.
About Posiphen®:
QR’s lead compound, Posiphen, is a small orally active compound with high blood brain barrier permeability. Posiphen reduces the levels of toxic proteins in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative disorders back to the levels found in normal healthy volunteers. By normalizing brain levels of alpha synuclein, beta amyloid and tau, it provides an avenue to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease early so as to prevent the onset or diminish the severity of cognitive decline. Since neurotoxic proteins cause inflammation in the brain, lowering their levels reduces inflammatory factors and inflammation.
About QR Pharma, Inc.
Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, QR Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing therapeutics with novel approaches for the treatment of cognitive impairment in neurological disorders. QR currently has three product development programs – Posiphen for early stage Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and BNC for advanced Alzheimer’s disease. For more information on QR Pharma, please visit the company’s website, http://qrpharma.wbprg.pw.
Contact: Contact: Maria L. Maccecchini, CEO
Tel: 610 727 3710
maccecchini@qrpharma.com
http://qrpharma.wbprg.pw