Osta finds association between presence of PTHrP gene variation and osteoporosis

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 4 - Osta Biotechnologies Inc. said it has found an association between bone mineral density of the hips and spine and the presence of a variation of the Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide gene.

The data was released as part of the interim results of the company's second clinical study for the development of a blood test for osteoporosis, which involved 44 subjects.

The company said 84% of osteoporotic male subjects had the genetic variation.

In comparison, 28% of female osteoporotic females had the variation, which Osta said could be due to sexual dimorphism that has been observed with a number of other proteins and hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.

The interim results confirm the findings of the company's first clinical study, also conducted at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, a McGill University teaching hospital in Montreal.

"We have demonstrated earlier that PTHrP plays a critical role in bone formation in mice. The current findings provide further evidence that PTHrP may play a vital role in bone formation in humans and has the potential to be one of the candidate genes in serving as a prognostic indicator of the risk for developing low bone mass and osteoporosis," said Andrew Karaplis, Osta president and chief scientific officer, in a company press release.

The company expects to complete the study shortly and, pending a successful outcome, enter into co-development agreements with large diagnostic companies to complete all the clinical studies required for regulatory approvals for marketing the blood test.

Osta is a biopharmaceutical company based in Montreal that develops diagnostics and therapeutics for the aging population, particularly in the areas of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease.

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