- IGC is the only publicly traded cannabis stock with patent filings for treating Alzheimer’s disease
- Company has a first-mover advantage in phytocannabinoid-based combination therapy
- Alzheimer’s is America’s most expensive disease, costing the country an estimated $259 billion in 2017
It is considered America’s most expensive disease, projected to cost an estimated $259 billion in the United States in 2017 and as much as $1.1 trillion by 2050 (http://dtn.fm/2UWLl). It is not cancer, and it is not AIDS. It is Alzheimer’s disease.
This devastating chronic neurodegenerative disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, nor are there presently any effective treatments to slow the disease or reverse its effects, but India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) is working to change that.
In a recent press release (http://dtn.fm/5qvM2), IGC discussed its progress on IGC-ADI, a drug candidate that is cannabis-based and targeted at lessening some of Alzheimer’s worst symptoms. IGC-ADI works through a molecular pathway that permits low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to do five things:
Inhibit Aβ protein production
Inhibit Aβ protein aggregation
Reduce protein phosphorylation
Restore mitochondria function
Redirect the immune system
Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is a protein believed to cause the formation of plaque in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, causing lesions. Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be caused by two different types of lesions—the first being senile plaque that is made up of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ plaque) and the second being neurofibrillary tangle, which is composed of highly phosphorylated Tau protein.
Aβ proteins are normally cleared away through biological processes, but, in Alzheimer’s patients, these proteins are unregulated and build up into insoluble fibroles. Senile plaques and extracellular misfolded oligomers resultantly form and are believed to be toxic to nerve cells in the brain. It has been found that IGC-AD1 may inhibit the production of amyloid beta peptide.
In a recent press release, IGC provided an update on in vitro data compiled from genetically engineered cell lines, which has been confirmed by IGC Senior Advisor Dr. Chuanhai Cao, who is also an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of South Florida’s College of Pharmacy. The data shows that at varying THC concentrations, production of Aβ40 protein decreases by as much as 50 percent over a 48-hour time period.
Aβ40 and Aβ42 play a central role in amyloid plaques and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Cao’s studies at USF led to the filing of a patent by USF entitled “THC as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease.” IGC has since acquired the exclusive rights to the patent filing, and the company intends to advance the technology through medical trials, with the ultimate aim of bringing relief to Alzheimer’s sufferers.
IGC is currently the only publicly traded cannabis stock to have patent filings for a potential breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment. This gives the company a first-mover advantage in phytocannabinoid-based combination therapy, as discussed in a recently published article featuring IGC and four other standout companies that are currently seeking to find viable treatments for Alzheimer’s (http://dtn.fm/9YfF0).
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCInc.us
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