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Marvel Biosciences Corp. Updates Market on Its Lead Caffeine Inspired Asset MB-204 for Neurological Diseases
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 5, 2021) - Marvel Biosciences Corp. (TSXV: MRVL) ...
About this update from Marvel Biosciences Corp
[{"type":"text","content":"Marvel Biosciences Corp. Updates Market on Its Lead Caffeine Inspired Asset MB-204 for Neurological DiseasesCalgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 5, 2021) - Marvel Biosciences Corp. (TSXV: MRVL) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Marvel Biotechnology Inc. (collectively the \"Company\" or \"Marvel\"), is pleased to provide an update on its lead compound asset MB-204 (\"MB-204\") being developed for neurological conditions such as depression and anxiety, Alzheimer's and ADHD. Marvel's compound is a novel patented fluorinated derivative of the US-FDA approved Parkinson's disease drug Istradefylline (Nourianz®). Both Istradefylline and MB-204 are highly active derivatives of caffeine, which act as antagonists of the adenosine A2a receptor (\"A2aR\"). Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world and has been associated with a reduced risk for developing Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and improving concentration.The Company has observed the following key pre-clinical properties of its lead asset MB-204:The compound is an antagonist of A2aR with a consistently similar in vitro IC50 as Istradefylline (75 vs 67 nM respectively);The compound has a very favourable oral pharmacokinetic profile in mice with a higher bioavailability (56% vs 30.9%) and longer half life than Istradefylline (2.9 vs 2.2 hours), the latter property confirmed by in vivo brain receptor occupancy studies (p<0.01);Demonstrated a clear dose dependent reduction in immobility time (p<0.0001) in a forced swim test model of depression at doses that did not trigger an increase in general locomotive activity;In a head-to-head study with Istradefylline conducted in an elevated plus model of anxiety, MB-204 exhibited a superior anti-anxiety profile;A slightly better toxicity profile (lower liver enzymes, ALT and AST) and lower creatinine levels than Istradefylline in a sub-chronic dosing experiment.This data in totality suggests MB-204 could be dosed as a once-a-day oral agent, possessing an attractive profile for central nervous system (\"CNS\") diseases involving A2aR.\"We based our molecule MB-204 off Istradefylline, the only US-FDA clinically approved A2aR antagonist, making logical changes to the original molecule to retain activity, but improve other qualities such as oral bioavailability\" said Dr. Mark Williams, President ...