NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant of $995,862.51 from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to develop ANAVEX®2-73 ( blarcamesine ) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The award will explore utilization of PET imaging biomarkers to enable measurement of target engagement and pathway activation of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1) with clinically relevant doses in people with Parkinson’s disease.
MJFF previously awarded Anavex a research grant, which fully funded a preclinical study that established ANAVEX®2-73 as a potentially disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Anavex is working toward the goal of confirming ANAVEX®2-73 as a disease-modifying intervention for Parkinson’s disease in clinical trials.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and affects more than 10 million people worldwide. 1
“Patients’ greatest unmet need is a therapy to slow or stop Parkinson’s progression, and our Foundation’s mission is to drive research closer to those treatments,” said Marco Baptista, PhD, Vice President of MJFF Research Programs. “ANAVEX®2-73 presents a promising approach, and we are glad to support its testing in these milestone first Parkinson’s trials.”
“We are extremely proud to have the support of MJFF for our ANAVEX®2-73 program, which allows Anavex to take the next step towards the potential to offer patients disease-modifying intervention for Parkinson’s disease patients,” stated Christopher U. Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. “We appreciate MJFF’s continued funding as we collectively work toward solutions for this disease.”
ANAVEX®2-73 activates the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1). Data suggests that activation of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1) is pivotal to restoring neural cell homeostasis and promoting neuroplasticity. 2
