Since the occurrence of many neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease increases with advancing age, and the world-wide population is aging at a rate never before observed, the magnitude and impact of the pending healthcare crisis is predictable and alarming.
At Prothena, we are drawing on our deep expertise in protein dysregulation to develop a diverse neuroscience pipeline.
Protein dysregulation occurs when genetic mutations, over-production or overwhelming of the body’s natural clearance mechanisms causes a protein to misfold, aggregate and accumulate in tissues, leading to disease.
Evidence suggests that deposit of the misfolded protein aggregates can impede synaptic function and cause neuronal death, leading to progressive neurodegeneration. This process has been implicated in a number of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders.
Our specific and selective approach in targeting proteins involved in a variety of neurological diseases, has resulted in a rich pipeline of investigational compounds that could deliver innovative therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Prothena has an active neurotherapeutics discovery program, focused on targets implicated in a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, among others. Our programs targeting tau (PRX005), TDP-43, and a third undisclosed target are part of a global collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Our wholly-owned neuroscience pipeline includes a portfolio of programs for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease including PRX012 that targets Aβ (Amyloid beta).