Canadian company's medical technology lauded by World Economic Forum as having "dramatic and sustainable impact on society"
Test for human form of mad cow disease will determine if epidemic is
coming.
Alzheimer's disease test will permit appropriate trials to identify
better treatments.
TSX Venture: AMF
TORONTO, Dec. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. of Toronto will
be the only Canadian recipient of 47 organizations from around the world to be
named as a "Technology Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum at its prestigious
annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January 2007. Amorfix is also one of
only a few World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers chosen to be featured in a
bonus section of the December 11, 2007 issue of Time Magazine. Amorfix was
selected because of its development of a technology with the potential to
permit diagnosis of several brain-wasting diseases, including Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's diseases, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's
Disease) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD), also known as the human
form of mad cow disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE). The
development of effective treatments for these diseases has been slow because
scientists have not been able to directly measure the abnormal molecules that
cause them and have only been able to accurately diagnose patients after
death.
"We are honoured to have been selected by the World Economic Forum
because its goal is to identify innovative proven technologies that will have
a dramatic and sustainable impact on society. Being able to diagnose these
devastating diseases through a simple blood test taken from living patients
will lead to improved understanding of the diseases and how they progress, as
well as the development of more effective treatments," said Dr. George Adams,
President and CEO of Amorfix.
"Amorfix is a shining example of how research in Ontario can be moved
rapidly from the laboratory to the marketplace to produce major medical
breakthroughs," said Ontario Premier and Minister of Research and Innovation
Dalton McGuinty. "In turn, these breakthroughs create high-value jobs and a
better quality of life for us all. I congratulate Amorfix on their success and
on receiving the world-wide recognition they deserve."
Variant CJD
Amorfix's first product is a blood test for vCJD that will be available
in 2007. "The most immediate need is to develop a test for blood system
operators and transplant centres for vCJD because we know this fatal disease
is infectious and it may be spreading. Our test will unlock the mystery of the
disease by diagnosing people in the years when they are contagious, but before
they have symptoms, so we can determine how widespread the disease is, stop it
from spreading, and learn about how the disease progresses and hopefully even
how to treat it," said Dr. Adams.
It is widely believed that people originally developed vCJD by eating
products from cattle that had BSE. However, we now know that it can be
transmitted from human to human through blood transfusions, prompting concerns
related to organ transplantation and necessitating destruction of surgical
instruments after use, since at present there is no effective decontamination
process. Of the four brain-wasting diseases being studied by Amorfix, vCJD is
the only one known to be transmitted from human to human. Amorfix is also
developing tests for animals to protect the food supply.
People infected with vCJD, or "carriers", are infectious, but do not show
symptoms for many years - sometimes as few as 10 years, but sometimes as many
as 40 or 50 years. There have been over 180 people who have been diagnosed
after death with vCJD. The majority of these were residents of the U.K. which
has also had the highest numbers of BSE-infected cattle. Some of those people
donated blood before their symptoms appeared; the recipients of their blood
components are being followed. Some experts are predicting there may be tens
of thousands of carriers in the U.K. It will be important to tell carriers
that they have tested positive to ensure that the disease is not spread
through donation of blood or organs, or through the re-use of surgical
instruments.
Amorfix appears to be well ahead of other companies in the race to
commercialize a vCJD test. "Our test has been shown to be sensitive and
specific based on a study of human samples provided by the U.K. government. It
has to be sensitive so you don't miss infected donations and it has to be
specific so you don't get false positives. You want to be absolutely sure of
the diagnosis when you tell a person they've got a fatal disease with no
treatments and may not have any symptoms for many years," added Dr. Adams.
Alzheimer's disease
Amorfix is also developing a blood test for Alzheimer's disease which,
for the first time, will permit accurate diagnosis of the disease before
death. "Alzheimer's is affecting increasing numbers of older people as our
population ages, so we need to develop treatments for all these people," said
Dr. Adams. "Once we know the patients have Alzheimer's and not some other form
of illness, we can identify more effective treatments." "Right now there are
about 250 treatments for Alzheimer's in development around the world, but
because we can't accurately diagnose the disease, we can't test the treatments
on the right patients," said Dr. Neil Cashman, Chief Scientific Officer of
Amorfix, and Canada Research Chair in Neurodegeneration and Protein Misfolding
Diseases at the University of British Columbia. "About 20 per cent of the
people we think have Alzheimer's don't actually have it. They have something
else that affects their memory and behaviour - for example brain damage after
an undetected stroke. And there are many more people who do have Alzheimer's
who haven't been identified or have been told they have something else."
Amorfix has received funding from Ontario Genomics Institute to develop its
Alzheimer's disease test.
ALS
Amorfix has partnered with Biogen Idec to develop a treatment for ALS.
Amorfix chose to work with Biogen Idec, a world-leading biotechnology company
that has therapies for various diseases already on the market, in order to
gain the expertise and resources necessary to move as quickly as possible from
the research phase to testing promising products to help patients. Dr. Cashman
is also the Director of the ALS Clinic at the Vancouver Coastal Health ALS
Centre in B.C.
Technology Pioneers
Amorfix is the only Canadian company of 47 Technology Pioneers that were
nominated for 2007 by the world's leading venture capital and technology
companies. The final selection from 225 nominees was made by a panel of
leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology
Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying
highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy,
biotechnology and health, and information technology.
To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the
development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for
long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate
visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market
leader - and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have
included Google and Napster.
About the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org), based in Geneva,
Switzerland, is an independent organization committed to improving the state
of the world. Funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost
corporations, the Forum acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global
public interest to further economic growth and social progress. The Forum
serves its members and society by creating partnerships between and among
business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society to define,
discuss and advance key issues on the global agenda. Incorporated in 1971 as a
foundation, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit, and is
tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995, the Forum was
awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the
United Nations. The World Economic Forum holds its annual conference every
January in Davos, Switzerland.
About Amorfix
Amorfix is an emerging biotechnology company focused on the diagnosis and
treatment of brain-wasting diseases, where aggregated misfolded proteins
(AMPs) are prevalent. These include "prions", the infectious agents of the
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE), such as BSE and variant CJD,
as well as degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, ALS and
Parkinson's Disease. Building on research developed at the University of
Toronto and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and with funding from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Genomics Institute,
Amorfix is focused on discovering and commercializing technologies to become
the world leader on AMP diseases. The company will use this knowledge to
develop diagnostic kits, treatments and vaccines for AMP diseases.
Test for human form of mad cow disease will determine if epidemic is
coming.
Alzheimer's disease test will permit appropriate trials to identify
better treatments.
TSX Venture: AMF
TORONTO, Dec. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. of Toronto will
be the only Canadian recipient of 47 organizations from around the world to be
named as a "Technology Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum at its prestigious
annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January 2007. Amorfix is also one of
only a few World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers chosen to be featured in a
bonus section of the December 11, 2007 issue of Time Magazine. Amorfix was
selected because of its development of a technology with the potential to
permit diagnosis of several brain-wasting diseases, including Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's diseases, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's
Disease) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD), also known as the human
form of mad cow disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE). The
development of effective treatments for these diseases has been slow because
scientists have not been able to directly measure the abnormal molecules that
cause them and have only been able to accurately diagnose patients after
death.
"We are honoured to have been selected by the World Economic Forum
because its goal is to identify innovative proven technologies that will have
a dramatic and sustainable impact on society. Being able to diagnose these
devastating diseases through a simple blood test taken from living patients
will lead to improved understanding of the diseases and how they progress, as
well as the development of more effective treatments," said Dr. George Adams,
President and CEO of Amorfix.
"Amorfix is a shining example of how research in Ontario can be moved
rapidly from the laboratory to the marketplace to produce major medical
breakthroughs," said Ontario Premier and Minister of Research and Innovation
Dalton McGuinty. "In turn, these breakthroughs create high-value jobs and a
better quality of life for us all. I congratulate Amorfix on their success and
on receiving the world-wide recognition they deserve."
Variant CJD
Amorfix's first product is a blood test for vCJD that will be available
in 2007. "The most immediate need is to develop a test for blood system
operators and transplant centres for vCJD because we know this fatal disease
is infectious and it may be spreading. Our test will unlock the mystery of the
disease by diagnosing people in the years when they are contagious, but before
they have symptoms, so we can determine how widespread the disease is, stop it
from spreading, and learn about how the disease progresses and hopefully even
how to treat it," said Dr. Adams.
It is widely believed that people originally developed vCJD by eating
products from cattle that had BSE. However, we now know that it can be
transmitted from human to human through blood transfusions, prompting concerns
related to organ transplantation and necessitating destruction of surgical
instruments after use, since at present there is no effective decontamination
process. Of the four brain-wasting diseases being studied by Amorfix, vCJD is
the only one known to be transmitted from human to human. Amorfix is also
developing tests for animals to protect the food supply.
People infected with vCJD, or "carriers", are infectious, but do not show
symptoms for many years - sometimes as few as 10 years, but sometimes as many
as 40 or 50 years. There have been over 180 people who have been diagnosed
after death with vCJD. The majority of these were residents of the U.K. which
has also had the highest numbers of BSE-infected cattle. Some of those people
donated blood before their symptoms appeared; the recipients of their blood
components are being followed. Some experts are predicting there may be tens
of thousands of carriers in the U.K. It will be important to tell carriers
that they have tested positive to ensure that the disease is not spread
through donation of blood or organs, or through the re-use of surgical
instruments.
Amorfix appears to be well ahead of other companies in the race to
commercialize a vCJD test. "Our test has been shown to be sensitive and
specific based on a study of human samples provided by the U.K. government. It
has to be sensitive so you don't miss infected donations and it has to be
specific so you don't get false positives. You want to be absolutely sure of
the diagnosis when you tell a person they've got a fatal disease with no
treatments and may not have any symptoms for many years," added Dr. Adams.
Alzheimer's disease
Amorfix is also developing a blood test for Alzheimer's disease which,
for the first time, will permit accurate diagnosis of the disease before
death. "Alzheimer's is affecting increasing numbers of older people as our
population ages, so we need to develop treatments for all these people," said
Dr. Adams. "Once we know the patients have Alzheimer's and not some other form
of illness, we can identify more effective treatments." "Right now there are
about 250 treatments for Alzheimer's in development around the world, but
because we can't accurately diagnose the disease, we can't test the treatments
on the right patients," said Dr. Neil Cashman, Chief Scientific Officer of
Amorfix, and Canada Research Chair in Neurodegeneration and Protein Misfolding
Diseases at the University of British Columbia. "About 20 per cent of the
people we think have Alzheimer's don't actually have it. They have something
else that affects their memory and behaviour - for example brain damage after
an undetected stroke. And there are many more people who do have Alzheimer's
who haven't been identified or have been told they have something else."
Amorfix has received funding from Ontario Genomics Institute to develop its
Alzheimer's disease test.
ALS
Amorfix has partnered with Biogen Idec to develop a treatment for ALS.
Amorfix chose to work with Biogen Idec, a world-leading biotechnology company
that has therapies for various diseases already on the market, in order to
gain the expertise and resources necessary to move as quickly as possible from
the research phase to testing promising products to help patients. Dr. Cashman
is also the Director of the ALS Clinic at the Vancouver Coastal Health ALS
Centre in B.C.
Technology Pioneers
Amorfix is the only Canadian company of 47 Technology Pioneers that were
nominated for 2007 by the world's leading venture capital and technology
companies. The final selection from 225 nominees was made by a panel of
leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology
Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying
highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy,
biotechnology and health, and information technology.
To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the
development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for
long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate
visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market
leader - and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have
included Google and Napster.
About the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org), based in Geneva,
Switzerland, is an independent organization committed to improving the state
of the world. Funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost
corporations, the Forum acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global
public interest to further economic growth and social progress. The Forum
serves its members and society by creating partnerships between and among
business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society to define,
discuss and advance key issues on the global agenda. Incorporated in 1971 as a
foundation, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit, and is
tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995, the Forum was
awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the
United Nations. The World Economic Forum holds its annual conference every
January in Davos, Switzerland.
About Amorfix
Amorfix is an emerging biotechnology company focused on the diagnosis and
treatment of brain-wasting diseases, where aggregated misfolded proteins
(AMPs) are prevalent. These include "prions", the infectious agents of the
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE), such as BSE and variant CJD,
as well as degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, ALS and
Parkinson's Disease. Building on research developed at the University of
Toronto and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and with funding from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Genomics Institute,
Amorfix is focused on discovering and commercializing technologies to become
the world leader on AMP diseases. The company will use this knowledge to
develop diagnostic kits, treatments and vaccines for AMP diseases.