Description:
The current state of the art:
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis pose devastating threats to both patients and their caregivers. Although palliative measurements are available to manage the disease symptoms, effective treatments are still lacking.
The problems with the current art:
Moreover, the number of neurodegenerative diseases is expected to double every 20 years as the average age of the world population increases. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an effective strategy to block the transition to neurodegenerative brains from healthy aging brains.
The advantages of our invention:
The scientists at AU identified the critical role of gangliosides (GD3 and GM1) in restoring neural stem cells, promoting neuronal differentiation, and eliminating cytotoxic proteins (alpha-synuclein, αSyn, and amyloid beta-peptide, Aβ3) in PD and AD model mice. Moreover, they developed a novel delivery method- intranasal infusion of gangliosides to pass the blood-brain barrier and exert its function. Previously, GM1 has been studied to treat central nervous system disorders with conflicting results. In the current work, AU scientists identified the synergistic effect of GM1 and GD3 in promoting neurogenesis for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.
AURI-2021-012*
Lead Inventor: Robert K. Yu, PhD, Med ScD
https://www.augusta.edu/mcg/dnrm/faculty/yulabweb.php
Patent Status: Provisional Application: 63/139,057 (01/21/2021)
References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jnc.15137?af=R
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31635474/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34111562/