True the new patent seems to narrow the broader neurogenerative patent from Oct. '12 to just Parkinsons Disease.
In my opinion Ariad is attempting to capitalize on recent studies validating use of ABL inhibitor in PD, which obviously plays into Pona's wheelhouse. If we have BIC ABL inhibitor, and cross the BBB,unassisted, at ratios multiples higher than other ABL TKI's, it follows that Pona would be a major player in PD.
From the patent-
"c-Abl is a major regulator of parkin function and phosphorylates parkin on tyrosine 143. This phosphorylation inhibits parkin's E3 ubiquitin ligase activity leading to accumulation of AIMP2 and FBP1 and loss of parkin's cytoprotective function and cell death. One Abl inhibitor, STI-571 , has been found to maintain parkin in a catalytically active and neuroprotective state by preventing phosphorylation of parkin. As such, it is believed that inhibition of c-Abl presents a viable approach for the treatment of PD."
With that said, I agree this has a long way to go, but based on the the priority date of April 2011, I assume mouse models are well underway and human trials are a year or so away. Abstracts for AACR 2014 are due November 15th and could be revealing on this topic.
