KainosMed "Parkinson's Disease Treatment Also Shows Animal Efficacy in Rare Disease 'MSA'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Kainosmed, a developer of central nervous system (CNS) drugs, announced on the 10th that its Parkinson's disease treatment candidate (KM-819), which is being developed for additional indications, showed significantly improved survival rates in an animal model of multiple system atrophy (MSA).

This study was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Multiple system atrophy is a central nervous system disorder characterized by motor dysfunction similar to Parkinson's disease. It progresses rapidly and is an incurable disease for which Parkinson's disease treatments are largely ineffective, with a life expectancy of only about 5 to 7 years. The number of patients is rare, accounting for 5 to 10% of Parkinson's disease cases.

This disease, like Parkinson's disease, is caused by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein. The difference is that this protein accumulates not in the brain's neurons but in the glial cells that protect and support neurons.

The University of California has an animal model of this disease and has been researching the efficacy of KM-819 in collaboration with Kainosmed for over a year. In this study, KM-819 was found to reduce the accumulation of alpha-synuclein, improving motor function in animals and extending their lifespan. The survival rate of rats administered KM-819 was significantly higher than that of rats not given the drug.

Kainosmed plans to conduct a Phase 2 clinical trial for multiple system atrophy first in South Korea. They are already discussing clinical progress with Professor Jong-sik Lee of Asan Medical Center. Since this disease progresses rapidly, the drug's effects are expected to be observed quickly, and as a rare disease, conditional approval after Phase 2 is also considered possible. Furthermore, the results are expected to serve as a predictive basis for the development of Parkinson's disease treatments.

A company representative stated, "KM-819 is Kainosmed's Parkinson's disease treatment candidate drug that, in addition to its cell-protective effects, has the ability to reduce the accumulation of alpha-synuclein," adding, "This study suggests that the reduction of alpha-synuclein accumulation by KM-819 may also be effective for other diseases related to this protein."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.