From rxpgnews.com
Thymosin beta 4 to be Studied for the Treatment of Degenerative Muscle Diseases and Cardiomyopathy
By RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Aug 5, 2005 - 6:47:38 PM
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX:RGN) (www.regenerx.com) reported today that it has begun a collaboration with doctors at Children's National Medical Center (CNMC), Division of Cardiology, in Washington, D.C., to study the effects of thymosin beta 4 (TB4) to treat degenerative muscle diseases that often result in cardiomyopathy -- the progressive deterioration and weakness of the heart.
Cardiomyopathy can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden death. For most patients with cardiomyopathy, transplantation of a new heart is the only viable treatment. In the U.S. there are over 84,000 patients with degenerative muscular dystrophy diseases and about 50,000 patients with cardiomyopathy.
The project is being directed by Dr. Christopher Spurney, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at CNMC, and will study the effects of TB4 in non-human models that have a disease similar to human Duchenne muscular dystrophy and go on to develop cardiomyopathy.
"This is a very exciting study as it may relate to previously published work showing TB4's ability to protect/repair the heart after an acute myocardial infarction. We look forward to testing it in our models to see if we can produce similar results," said Dr. Spurney. "If TB4 is shown to be protective, we would hope to move into human clinical trials."
According to Dr. Allan Goldstein, Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the George Washington University Medical School, Washington, D.C. and Chief Scientific Advisor to RegeneRx, "Dr. Spurney's team at Children's is among the most experienced in the world in degenerative muscle diseases and their effects on the heart. We are pleased to work with such an esteemed group to determine what TB4's role may be for this important medical area."
Thymosin Beta 4
TB4 is a naturally occurring peptide present in virtually all human cells. It is a first-in-class drug candidate that promotes endothelial cell differentiation, keratinocyte migration, collagen deposition, and down-regulates certain inflammatory cells. A key mechanism of action is TB4's ability to regulate the cell-building protein, actin, a vital component of cell structure. Additionally, TB4 directly influences the production of laminin-5, a protein responsible for proper adhesion and migration of certain types of mammalian cells and an important component of the wound healing process. It has also recently been reported that TB4 can inhibit or prevent apoptosis (programmed cell death) in ocular tissue and cardiac tissue. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and at other academic institutions throughout the U.S., have published numerous scientific articles indicating that TB4 is effective in accelerating dermal and corneal wound healing in several animal models, under a variety of conditions. A recent article appeared in the scientific journal, Nature, indicating that TB4 prevents and/or repairs cardiac damage in laboratory animals after a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
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