CepTor: Myodur's proof-of-concept data significant in Muscular Dystrophy

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, April 25 - CepTor Corp. said Tuesday that proof-of-concept data was statistically significant for its targeted calpain-inhibiting drug Myodur when tested in animals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

In the mouse, an animal model with a genetic defect identical to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the company showed muscle tissue preservation on histopathology and a statistically significant increase in myofiber (muscle fibers) diameter in treated versus non-treated mice, according to a company news release.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a fatal muscle-wasting disease caused by abnormally high levels of calpain activity.

The company presented this data at a recent medical conference in San Diego, officials said. It also presented data demonstrating the efficiency of its cell-targeted technology through in-vitro studies in human cell lines showing that its calpain inhibitor is 50 times to 100 times more potent when targeted with a carnitine carrier compared to when delivered alone.

The company also presented information involving the development of a biomarker that can specifically measure excess calpain activity, officials said.

"As we continue to push toward the [Investigational New Drug application], we become increasingly excited about the potential we may have here to treat a very important disease," Bill Pursley, chairman and chief executive officer of CepTor, said in the release.

CepTor is a Hunt Valley, Md., development-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes proprietary, cell-targeted therapeutic products to treat neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases with a focus on orphan diseases.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.