KineMed Inc. has signed an agreement with MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, to study how a monoclonal antibody affects the dynamics of the cellular prion protein (PrPc). Cellular prion protein is found in healthy people, but this protein is known to have altered conformation and function in several neurodegenerative conditions including Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and fatal familial insomnia.

Recent research has also demonstrated that the prion protein may be a key component of Alzheimer's disease. KineMed’s platform technology will allow MedImmune to track the prion protein, providing insight into how an antibody directed at PrPc will affect the turnover and expression of the protein at the cell surface.

“We are very pleased to work with MedImmune in the search for new and effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases,” said Dr Ravi Kiron, chief business officer of KineMed. “The growing toll of neurodegenerative disease in the aging global population is an enormous burden for patients, healthcare providers, and healthcare systems world-wide. KineMed is committed to partnering with innovative biotech companies like MedImmune to help accelerate the discovery and approval of new and effective therapies for neurodegenerative disease.”

The MedImmune scientists working on this project are part of the AstraZeneca Neuroscience Innovative Medicines Unit.

KineMed has created a broadly enabling proprietary technology that is potentially transformative in drug development and personalized medicine. The company has developed the first practically-useful systems biology technology that can be used directly in humans, with applications not only in drug discovery and development, but also in clinical diagnosis, personalized medicine and therapeutic monitoring.