huntington disease biomarker early

Sydney, [Australia] January 13, 2006 - Proteome Systems [ASX:PXL] today announced an early
outcome from its clinical collaboration with the High Q Foundation of the United States is the identification
of multiple biomarkers for Huntington’s Disease [HD] using the Proteome Systems discovery platforms.
A 2-year human study will now validate these markers which could then be used to accelerate the
development of effective new drug treatments for Huntington’s Disease and other neurodegenerative
diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Currently, there are no drugs available to treat HD, and rapid drug development requires diagnostic
biomarkers to determine drug efficacy.
Proteome Systems and High Q are considering patenting several of these proteins as candidate
biomarkers of the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including HD.
HD is caused by a defect in the Huntington gene which genetically programs degeneration of neurons in
certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties,
and emotional disturbance. In the United States alone, about 30,000 people have HD; estimates of its
prevalence are about 1 in every 10,000 persons globally.
Those with the defective gene will develop this fatal neurodegenerative disease at some point in their lives,
usually between ages of 30 and 50 years. The disease can be diagnosed with a DNA test at birth, but only
about 5% of suspected cases in the USA are diagnosed early because there is currently no way of
determining when the disease will manifest, and no treatment is available.
In the collaborative program, funded by the High Q Foundation in the United States, Proteome Systems
has discovered novel proteins for HD using its proprietary ProteomIQ and BioinformatIQ platforms. These
proteins found in human blood samples constitute potential biomarkers for detecting the onset and
progression of HD. The next step is to validate these proteins as diagnostic/prognostic markers for early
onset (i.e. prior to when the first neuropathological symptoms occur), and disease progression in a 2-year
study of HD individuals.
Dr Jenny Harry, Deputy CEO and Head of Diagnostics for Proteome Systems said the ability to
successfully manage and treat neurodegenerative disease is a serious challenge for clinicians, who now
face a spiralling increase in age-associated diseases over the next 20 years.
“We are hopeful that the biomarkers we are developing will expedite the development of effective drugs
and determine when and how they should be administered,” Harry said.
Dr Allan Tobin, Scientific Advisor to High Q, said “the identification of biomarkers that can be used to
monitor the pathological changes that occur during HD is essential for the development of effective drug
treatments”.