Metabolic Solutions Development Co.

Neurodegeneration

Metabolic Solutions MSDC is preparing to conduct a Phase 2a clinical trial in Alzheimers disease at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago which will be funded by the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia; it has no cure, and the number of people with Alzheimers will more than triple over the next several decades. In spite of much effort and expense, no clinically successful therapeutic has been achieved.

The connection between dementia and metabolic disease is of particular interest to MSDC. A recent accumulation of data suggests that a primary defect leading to the pathology, perhaps including the structural pathological changes later in the course of the disease, is metabolic dysfunction, possibly originating with mitochondria and oxidative metabolism. The purpose of MSDCs studies is to assess the ability of MSDC-0160, a novel insulin sensitizer shown to be effective for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, to improve brain glucose metabolism and cognitive function in older persons with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. Measurement will also be made of the known factors associated with insulin-sensitizer pharmacology including inflammatory markers and lipid levels. These data will be used to determine whether changes in metabolism in the brain and/or periphery may correlate with changes in cognitive function. The results of this trial will be used to inform the design of subsequent clinical trials to test the potential of MSDC-0160 to treat Alzheimers disease.