UB-312 Vaccine Candidate May Prevent Parkinson's Disease

A clinical-stage biotech company announced positive, pre-clinical evidence for UB-312, a Parkinson's disease vaccine candidate. 

In this presentation, Dr. Hui Jing Yu, Medical Director of United Neuroscience (UNS), said in a press release, "The UB-312 vaccine presents numerous advantages over traditional vaccines when treating progressive disorders like Parkinson's disease." 

UNS's UB-312 vaccine was confirmed to selectively target and prevent the accumulation of pathogenic forms of alpha-synuclein proteins in vitro and in vivo mouse studies, as well as in post-mortem brain tissue from patients with Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and Multiple System Atrophy. 

UB-312-induced antibodies have been shown to preferentially bind pathogenic fibrillar αSyn strains and promote disaggregation while preserving motor function, body weight, and survival in animal models of aggregated aSyn pathology. 

Differentiation of Parkinson's disease from the various types of atypical parkinsonism can be challenging, especially early in the disease course when symptoms overlap.

The types of atypical parkinsonism are: 

• multiple system atrophy (MSA),
• progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP),
• dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB),
• corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and,
• vascular parkinsonism (VP).

A significant unmet need in the diagnostic workup of these disorders is a diagnostic tool that differentiates the various disorders, preferably in the earliest disease stages when the clinical presentation is similar. 

"Parkinson's disease is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting approximately 7 million people worldwide," said Ajay Verma, MD, Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of UNS.   

"The ability of UB-312 antisera to target toxic alpha-synuclein species in several disorders will allow us to address multiple neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Verma.   

Active vaccination of human individuals against pathogenic forms of α-synuclein (αSyn) has yet to be safely and effectively achieved. 

UNS has begun an observational study to establish a biomarker by phenotyping a trial-ready cohort of Parkinson's disease patients in the United Kingdom and will commence a Phase I study in The Netherlands in 2019 with UB-312. 

United Neuroscience is a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing best-in-class immunotherapeutics for the brain.