Zyentia announces research collaboration in Parkinson's disease

Zyentia, of Cambridge in the UK, has entered into a research collaboration agreement with the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona - Parc Cientific de Barcelona (IRBB-PCB) - to identify novel treatments for Parkinson's disease.

The principal collaborator in Barcelona will be Professor Ernest Giralt. The cornerstone of the collaboration between Professor Giralt and Zyentia is the identification of peptidomimetics and small molecule compounds able to interfere with alpha-synuclein aggregation and its involvement in neuronal cell death.

The ultimate goal of the project is the design of compounds able to be delivered efficiently to the affected areas of the brain, with a view to developing a novel treatment that protects against, or reverses, the degeneration of neuronal tissue characteristic of Parkinson's disease.

Professor Giralt's group is a world leader in the area of peptide chemistry and peptidomimetics and its application to stabilising molecules for drug delivery. In recent years this group has been particularly active in the design of peptides that promote membrane translocation without causing cytotoxicity, as well as analysing the molecular basis of enhanced blood brain barrier penetration of peptides.

There is increasing evidence supporting the active involvement of alpha-synuclein misfolding in promoting cytotoxicity and neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra area of the brain, which ultimately causes the neuronal and motoric dysfunctions observed in patients with Parkinson's disease.

'Professor Giralt's extensive knowledge in the area of peptidomimetics is a perfect complement to Zyentia's screening infrastructure and expertise in the prediction and identification of the molecular determinants of protein aggregation and cytotoxicity,' said Dr Jesus Zurdo, research director for Zyentia.