Key Highlights:
- Ellorarxine, a novel drug compound developed by Nevrargenics, has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which make it a promising new therapy for treating ALS.
- The results showed that Ellorarxine increases MAP2 expression at low concentrations, induces neurite outgrowth, ameliorates neuroinflammation and modifies GluA2 expression.
- Nevrargenics is now proceeding to human trials with Ellorarxine, after receiving the green light from the MHRA.
A peer reviewed study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences by academics at Durham University has shown that a new treatment for the most common type of motor neurone disease could improve the neuronal health of sufferers and allow their nervous systems to improve regeneration.
Ellorarxine, a novel drug compound developed by Nevrargenics, has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which make it a promising new therapy for treating ALS. The disease is the most common motor neurone disease (MND) and is characterised by progressive muscle atrophy, the wasting of muscle mass. It affects over 5000 people in the UK at any one time.
The results showed that Ellorarxine significantly increases MAP2 expression at remarkably low concentrations (10nM), induces neurite outgrowth, increases mitochondrial viability to combat oxidative stress, ameliorates neuroinflammation and modifies GluA2 expression. Nevrargenics is now proceeding to human trials with Ellorarxine, after receiving the green light from the MHRA.
Together, the effects Ellorarxine has shown begin to address the 3Ns – neuroprotection, neuroplasticity and neurorepair, which are widely acknowledged to be essential to an effective treatment for MND and other neurodegenerative diseases. It is rare for a therapy to address all three of these at once and the existing treatments only relieve symptoms.
The study success builds on recent results from another study conducted by academics at Aberdeen and published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, which showed Ellorarxine crosses the blood-brain barrier, concentrates in the spinal cord, provides excitotoxic neuroprotection and reduces stress granules, indicating that the drug has significant promise when it comes to human translation.
Retinoids appear to be essential in neuronal cell activity and have been implicated in ALS pathogenesis. Ellorarxine is based on Nevrargenics’ retinoic acid receptor (RAR) modulator technology, and so the study was designed to assess the novel drug’s pharmacological mechanisms, neuroprotective and neuroreparative properties and relevance to ALS.
Andy Whiting, emeritus professor and CEO at Nevrargenics, said: “This study is hot on the heels of research just published in Frontiers in Neuroscience and is another strong indication of how promising our novel drug Ellorarxine really is. Together, they indicate the potential our compounds have in providing neuroprotection in neurodegenerative disease models, including ALS.
Many neurodegenerative diseases share the same key mechanisms and so the evidence generated by these studies warrants further investigation as to the true potential Ellorarxine has across different diseases. This study moves us closer to achieving our goal of bringing a drug to market and is testament to the power of conducting scientific research simultaneously across institutions to accelerate drug discovery.”
Professor Paul Chazot of Durham University, lead supervisor of this study, said: “I have been looking for a drug like Ellorarxine for over 30 years. It addresses the ‘3Ns’ Neuroprotection, Neuroplasticity and Neurorepair, which provides a rational solution to combatting the complexity of neurodegenerative diseases, including motor neuron disease.”
The full study was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.