Glialogix Receives National Multiple Sclerosis Society Funding For Treatment Development
Glialogix announced that it had signed a research agreement with the non-profit Fast Forward, a part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), which would fund continued development of GLX1112, a neuroprotective oral therapy with the potential to treat progressive MS.
According to Glialogix, the only currently approved treatment for progressive MS symptoms is chemotherapy, which has exposure limits and low success rates. While GLX1112 could not cure the disease, researchers hope that this treatment could significantly slow the progression and accumulation of disability.
Under the terms of the agreement, Fast Forward will fund advanced pharmacokinetic testing, preclinical models, and further mechanistic studies of GLX1112. Glialogix hopes that the assistance from Fast Forward will move the drug closer to human clinical trials.
Mark Moore, CEO of Glialogix, explained the importance of the therapy. “The treatment of patients with progressive MS represents a significant unmet medical need. The majority of MS disability occurs in the progressive forms of MS, but drugs that are effective for relapsing MS have shown limited to no efficacy in progressive MS.”
MS is an inflammatory disease that damages the protective insulation of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. These damages lead to miscommunication in the central nervous system that manifests as a variety of physical and psychiatric problems.
These symptoms can either come and go, as with relapsing-remitting cases, or they can become constant. Current research suggests that the disease could begin with a malfunction of the immune system.
This disease often goes undiagnosed, and currently, the CDC does not require U.S. physicians to report new cases. Therefore, the prevalence of the disease can only be estimated. The NMSS reports there are approximately 2.3 million cases of the disease worldwide.
MS Research has experienced a recent surge of activity. This year saw the world’s largest MS meeting, at which, over 8500 researchers met in Boston to discuss advances and discoveries in current MS research. Phase 3 clinical trials on immuno-therapies, progress with generics, possible causes and early indicators, and methods of restoring function to damaged nervous systems were among the topics discussed.
The Progressive MS Alliance also recently announced that it had awarded 22 research grants to scientists in nine countries.
Glialogix expresses hope that successful clinical trials of GXL1112 could lead to other indications for the drug, including treatments for neuropathic pain, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s.