PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Knopp Biosciences LLC, a privately held drug discovery and development company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory and neurological diseases with a high unmet need, today announced a research collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, to advance the development of innovative treatments for a rare and serious form of neonatal epilepsy.
The principal investigator in the collaboration is Edward C. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Molecular & Human Genetics at Baylor. Dr. Cooper’s laboratory is focused on understanding and developing new treatments for epilepsy, including rare genetic epilepsies associated with dysfunction of the developing infant brain. These diseases include KCNQ2 neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, which is caused by mutations in the KCNQ2 gene and loss of function in nerve-cell potassium channels.
Knopp has developed a large library of drug molecules designed as Kv7.3/7.3 channel activators, with a lead candidate entering preclinical toxicology studies. Under the sponsored research agreement, the Cooper Lab will characterize the effects of Knopp’s drug candidates on normal and mutated Kv7.2/7.3 ion channel activity.
“We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Cooper, whose pioneering work has opened new possibilities for the treatment of devastating childhood epilepsies,” said Michael Bozik, M.D., Chief Executive Office of Knopp. “The Cooper Lab at Baylor will play a key role in characterizing how our molecules interact with Kv7 channels closely linked with epilepsy and abnormal brain development, which we anticipate will help us to identify and advance drug candidates for further development.”
“Variants in KCNQ2 and related genes are now appreciated to be among the most common genetic causes of neonatal onset-epilepsy and disorders where epilepsy is accompanied by severe global disability,” said Dr. Cooper. “This collaboration will allow us to move toward testing the hypothesis that drugs directly reversing the effects of the disease-causing mutations may be of benefit to patients.”
ABOUT KNOPP BIOSCIENCES LLC
Knopp Biosciences, based in
Pittsburgh, PA, USA, is a privately held drug discovery and development
company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory
and neurological diseases with a high unmet need. Knopp’s clinical-stage
small molecule, dexpramipexole, is entering Phase 3 development in
hypereosinophilic syndrome and Phase 2 clinical development in
eosinophilic asthma. Knopp’s preclinical Kv7 platform is directed to
small molecule treatments for neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, other
rare epilepsies, tinnitus, and neuropathic pain. Please visit www.knoppbio.com.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains
"forward-looking statements," including statements relating to planned
regulatory filings and clinical development programs. All
forward-looking statements are based on management's current assumptions
and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important
factors, specifically including the uncertainties inherent in clinical
trials and product development programs, the availability of funding to
support continued research and studies, the availability or potential
availability of alternative therapies or treatments, the availability of
patent protection for the discoveries and strategic alliances, as well
as additional factors that may cause Knopp's actual results to differ
from our expectations. There can be no assurance that any
investigational drug product will be successfully developed or
manufactured or that final results of clinical studies will be
supportive of regulatory approvals required to market a product. Knopp
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Knopp's pipeline consists of investigational drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These investigational drug products are still undergoing clinical study to verify their safety and effectiveness.