SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:AMBS) a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics related to neurodegeneration and apoptosis, today announced that President & CEO Gerald E. Commissiong has been invited to make a formal presentation and sit on the Alzheimer's panel at the 2nd Annual European Investing and Partnering Summit to be held September 4-5 in Helsinki, Finland, which is being hosted by NeuroInsights. The presentation will focus on the science, data and development strategy for the LymPro Test® for Alzheimer's disease (AD) which is being advanced based on the ectopic cell cycle re-entry ("CCR" or "cell cycle dysfunction") hypothesis of AD.
"We continue to make progress with Becton Dickinson in developing a robustly reproducible assay as an aid to the diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer's type at the disease's earliest stages. This progress is improving industry knowledge of the basic science underpinning LymPro's ability to accurately diagnose AD. This potentially represents a key driver in creating value for the multiple therapeutic programs currently under development by various global biopharmaceutical companies," said Gerald E. Commissiong, President & CEO of Amarantus. "The basic biology behind LymPro is relatively simple; identify cell cycle dysfunction that occurs in the brain of Alzheimer's patients by measuring cell cycle dysfunction that occurs in their peripheral blood cells. Because cell cycle dysfunction triggers an immune response that can be measured in the blood, LymPro could be an ideal tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer's. This conference will provide an excellent forum to further improve the profile of LymPro within the industry as a potential breakthrough assay that could alter the landscape of AD diagnosis as we know it."
Cell cycle dysfunction has been hypothesized to be a hallmark of AD since the late 1990's, although little was known about how it related to Alzheimer's markers such as Amyloid-beta and Tau. Recent evidence suggests that the link between cell cycle dysfunction, Amyloid-beta and Tau is centered around the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which mediates a number of biological processes including cell cycle re-entry. Recent peer-reviewed literature (http://jcs.biologists.org/content/126/5/1278.short) has identified the link between Amyloid-beta and Tau degradation via cell-cycle dysfunction in AD. As a result of this new information, a clear link has been established between Amyloid-beta, Tau and LymPro which further validates the scientific principles underpinning the assay, thereby increasing its scientific validity as a potentially vital diagnostic blood test for AD.
AD represents approximately 10% of overall healthcare spend in the US, a penetration that is expected to deepen as an aging population and improved medicine leads to increased diagnoses. Healthcare spending in the US ranks higher than that of any other country, spending roughly $2 trillion, or 18% of GDP, on healthcare. In 2012, 15.4 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.5 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at more than $216 billion beyond the actual healthcare expenses. AD represents a large portion of this capital expenditure. It is estimated that the cost of caring for people with AD and other dementia's will rocket northwards from an estimated $203 billion in 2013 to a projected $1.2 trillion per year by 2050, with Medicare covering approximately 70% of costs.
The Company has estimated that peak sales for LymPro will exceed $500 million. On June 13, 2013 , the Company entered into a Laboratory Services Agreement with Becton Dickinson for the development of LymPro using BD Biosciences Custom Technology Team, and LymPro development remains on track to initiate a pivotal clinical study in early 2014 to support commercial launch of LymPro as a Laboratory-Developed Test ("LDT") under the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Act ("CLIA") in the second half of 2014. A link to the current WhitePaper on LymPro can be found at http://ir.stockpr.com/amarantus/scientific-publications.
About NeuroInsights
NeuroInsights is the world's leading neurotech market authority and organizer of The Annual Neurotech Investing and Partnering Conference held on alternate years in San Francisco and Boston. Launched in 2005, the conference has become the premier event of its kind for neuroscience therapeutics, diagnostics and device companies, and for their strategic partners such as pharmaceutical companies, investors, and academics. In addition, NeuroInsights publishes Neurotech Insights, a newsletter focused on developments and deals in commercial neuroscience as well as the annual Neurotechnology Industry Market Report and other market reports (including neurodiagnostics, neurodevices and stem cells). For more information visit www.neuroinsights.com.
About Amarantus
Amarantus is a development-stage biotechnology company founded in January 2008. The Company has a focus on developing certain biologics surrounding the intellectual property and proprietary technologies it owns to treat and/or diagnose Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, and other human diseases. The Company has an exclusive worldwide license to the Lymphocyte Proliferation test ("LymPro Test®") for Alzheimer's disease and owns the intellectual property rights to a therapeutic protein known as Mesencephalic-Astrocyte-derived Neurotrophic Factor ("MANF") and is developing MANF-based products as treatments for brain disorders. The Company also is a Founding Member of the Coalition for Concussion Treatment (#C4CT), a movement initiated in collaboration with Brewer Sports International seeking to raise awareness of new treatments in development for concussions and nervous-system disorders. The Company also owns intellectual property for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease ("NuroPro") and the discovery of neurotrophic factors ("PhenoGuard"). For further information please visit www.Amarantus.com, or connect with the Company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.