BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitochon Pharmaceuticals today announced that it was notified by the US Patent and Trade Mark Office of allowance on its first patent, US 15/002,531 “INDUCED EXPRESSION OF BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) FOR TREATMENT OF NEUROMUSCULAR, NEURODEGENERATIVE, AUTOIMMUNE, DEVELOPMENTAL AND/OR METABOLIC DISEASE”. This patent allowance will help secure the path forward for the continued clinical development of MP101 in: Huntington’s Disease, Optic neuritis and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy.
“We are delighted to receive our first patent allowance. It clearly demonstrates the novelty of our work in developing mitochondrial targeted therapies for neurodegeneration. By harnessing the power of the mitochondria, our compounds are able to protect cells from the destructive effects of degeneration. Importantly, this Patent Allowance will help pave the way for human clinical development, with the hope of helping the millions of people with devastating, neurological diseases,” said Robert Alonso, co-founder and CEO of Mitochon.
MP101 and MP201 are mitochondrial targeted, once-a-day, oral therapies that have been shown to shield cells from damage caused by a host of degenerative processes (genetic and non-genetic, auto-immune and injury). In preclinical studies, these compounds have exhibited striking protective and functional benefits in disease models. These include: brain volume sparing in Huntington’s disease; axonal protection from demyelination in Optic Neuritis, and preserving diaphragm strength and heart morphology in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. To understand the critical step of translation, Mitochon will initiate Phase I studies in normal healthy volunteers in 2018 and expected to be in Phase II studies in 2019.
About Mitochon Pharmaceuticals
Mitochon was founded in 2014 with the mission to develop treatments for insidious diseases through the modulation of mitochondrial physiology. Mitochon’s lead programs, MP101 and MP-201, specifically target the mitochondria to provide broad neural protection. These compounds elicit mild increases in energy expenditure that result in strengthening cellular survival – similar to the positive effects seen with fasting and exercise. These compounds also induce an important neurotrophin, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), involved in cognition and neural growth. It also improves calcium handling associated with many diseases. Mitochon is supported by Ben Franklin Technology Partners Southeastern PA, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority. Additional Information: www.mitochonpharma.com
