Guilford Pharmaceuticals Presents Novel Research at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience
Thursday November 7, 11:47 am ET
BALTIMORE, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: GLFD - News) today announced that the company presented seven poster presentations at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting this week in Orlando, Florida. The presentations featured results from research and development projects currently underway at Guilford including its neuroimmunophilin and NAALADase inhibitor programs. These programs are designed to produce novel products that will offer new and better treatments for acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders.
"At Guilford we're using our expertise in neurobiology and medicinal chemistry to discover and develop novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction, diabetic peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain," commented Dr. Barbara Slusher, Senior Vice President of Research. "This week, we presented a series of poster presentations based on preclinical research we have conducted in our neuroimmunophilin ligand and NAALADase inhibitor programs."
Neuroimmunophilin Presentations
Neuroimmunophilin Ligands (NILs) belong to a class of neuroprotective and neuroregenerative drugs which Guilford is evaluating for the potential treatment of central and peripheral nerve disorders. In animal models, neuroimmunophilin ligands offered distinct advantages over other experimental nerve regeneration agents because they appear to target only damaged nerve cells and can penetrate the blood-brain barrier without direct injection into the brain. Preclinical data presented this week suggest that NILs might be useful in preventing erectile dysfunction, which can result from nerve damage following radical prostate surgery.
Presentations from Guilford's neuroimmunophilin ligand program included:
1. GPI 1046 Enhances Erectile Response Following Cavernous Nerve Crush
Injury in Rats. H.L. Valentine; J. McCormick; H. Guo; A. Hoke; A.L.
Burnett; S.H. Synder; Y. Wu; G.S. Hamilton; J.P. Steiner. Guilford
Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore, MD and Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD.
2. Retrograde Tracing of Dopaminergic RE-Innervation of the Striatum
Following Neuroimmunophilin Ligand Treatment. B. Hutcheon; J.P.
Steiner; G.S. Hamilton; M.O. Poulter. Carleton University, Ottawa,
ON, Canada and Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore, MD.
3. Small Molecule Cyclophilin Ligands Stimulate Neurite Outgrowth in
Sensory Ganglion Cultures and Protect Cells from Excitotoxic Cell
Death in Neuronal Cultures. J.P. Steiner; M.S. Connolly; T.A.
Moeller; Y. Wu; G.S. Hamilton. Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore,
MD.
NAALADase Presentations
By inhibiting an enzyme called NAALADase, Guilford has demonstrated the promotion of myelin formation and the ability to regulate in animal models excess levels of glutamate, which have been implicated in a variety of acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. The Company is currently conducting studies to evaluate the use of NAALADase inhibitors as a potential new treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Data were presented earlier this week updating the progress of this program.
Presentations from Guilford's NAALADase program included:
1. GCPII (NAALADase) Inhibition Partially Reverses Nerve Conduction Velocity Deficits, Hyperalgesia and Morphological Abnormalities Following Chronic Diabetes in BB/Wor Rats. W. Zhang; Y. Murakawa, K.M. Wozniak; B.S. Slusher; AAA Sima. Wayne State University and Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., Baltimore, MD.
2. Phosphonate and Phosphinate Analogs of N-Acylated-Glutamylglutamate: Potent Inhibitors of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II (GCP II or NAALADase). M. Stathis; C. Tiffany; J. Flanary, T. Tsukamoto; C. Rojas; B.S. Slusher; J.K. Coward. Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., Baltimore, MD and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
3. NAALADase (GCPII) Inhibition Protects Hippocampal Cultures Against GP120-Induced Apoptosis. A.G. Thomas; A. Bodner; C. Rojas; B.S. Slusher; R.J. Miller; G. Ghadge; R. Roos. Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., Baltimore, MD and Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
4. NAALADase Inhibition Reduces Isolation-Induced Aggression in Mice. L.A. Lumley; C.L. Robison; B.S. Slusher; K. Wozniak; M. Dawood; J. Meyerhoff. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD and Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., Baltimore, MD.
Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and markets novel pharmaceutical products targeting the hospital and neurological markets.
CONTACT: Stacey Jurchison, Guilford Pharmaceuticals, +1-410-631-5022. |
