- More than 5.3 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, which has no effective cure or substantial treatment
- India Globalization Capital’s IGC-ADI drug candidate targets proteins associated with the buildup of lesions in the brain
- The company acquired exclusive rights to a patent, based on University of South Florida studies supporting THC’s role in inhibiting Aβ plaque production
Alzheimer’s disease now affects over 5.3 million people in the United States, imposing an estimated economic cost of $236 billion. There has been no effective treatment to slow down or reverse its effects. That may be about to change, as India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) launched a press release (http://dtn.fm/w01OQ) detailing its work on a drug candidate, IGC-ADI, that targets the buildup of lesions in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s. Given that the number of cases is expected to double over the next two decades, a lack of a cure or other mitigating therapy is concerning. However, the company expects to soon begin trials that may yield promising new treatments.
The unconventional nature of this drug candidate is that it is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-based. Low doses of THC have been found to inhibit amyloid beta peptide (Aβ plaque) production. This protein is believed to cause plaque to form in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Phosphorylated Tau proteins make up another type of lesion, called a neurofibrillary tangle, that is also linked to AD. The Aβ proteins normally cleared away by biological processes are unregulated in Alzheimer’s patients, and therefore build up into insoluble fibroles. The result is the formation of senile plaques and extracellular misfolded oligomers that are thought to be toxic to nerve cells in the brain.
Now the only publicly traded pharmaceutical cannabis stock that addresses the disease, IGC has developed a drug that inhibits protein production and protein aggregation and reduces the phosphorylation of protein, as explained in the recent Brand Awareness Distribution article, “Alzheimer’s Disease: Cannabis Formulation Shows Promise”. The drug candidate IGC-ADI is believed to also have the potential to restore mitochondria function and redirect the immune system. Studies on genetically engineered cell lines conducted at the University of South Florida (USF) have provided supportive evidence for the company to move forward. At THC concentrations of 25nM, Aβ40 production was cut by 30 percent over a six-hour period, and by 35 percent over 24 hours. When doses of 2.5 μM were introduced, amyloid beta peptide production was reduced by the same level at six hours, 40 percent over 24 hours, and 55 percent over 48 hours (compared to 40 percent at lower THC concentrations).
The patent “THC as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease,” was filed based on the findings of the USF studies conducted by Dr. Chuanhai Cao, an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at USF’s College of Pharmacy and an IGC Senior Advisor. Expected to conduct human medical trials, IGC has already acquired exclusive rights to the patent filing, allowing it to use and advance the technology to find potential treatments for Alzheimer’s patients.
IGC-ADI is one of six patents involving cannabis-based combination therapy, providing investors with opportunities to help support potentially revolutionary treatments for Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCInc.us
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