News First MS Patients in CHANGE-MS Trial Receive Novel Treatment First MS Patients in CHANGE-MS Trial Receive Novel Treatment by Patricia Inacio, PhD | June 10, 2016 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link GeNeuro, a biopharmaceutical company that focusesĀ on novel treatments for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), announced thatĀ the first patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are underĀ treatment with the companyās leading drug, GNbAC1, in aĀ Phase 2b clinical trial. GNbAC1 is a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize MSRV-En, a protein previously linked to both inflammation and neurodegenaration features of MS. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled study CHANGE-MS (Clinical trial assessing the HERV-W Env Antagonist GNbAC1 forĀ Efficacy inĀ Multiple Sclerosis), scientists planĀ to enroll 260 patients within 69 clinical centers across 13 European countries. The study aims toĀ assess the cumulative number of active brain lesions (examined by magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) at six and 12 months of treatment and compared it to placebo controls. The study’sĀ preliminary results are due in 2017. āThis new therapeutic approach, targeting MSRV-Env, seeks to neutralize an upstream source of inflammation and to restore the remyelination capacity of the brain. Blocking a causal factor in MS, as opposed to current treatments that interfere with the immune system, would open a new therapeutic option for MS patients,ā said Dr. FranƧois Curtin, chief operating officer at GeNeuro, in a press release. JesĆŗs Martin-Garcia, CEO of GeNeuro, said meeting the clinical milestone is an important step in the development of GNbAC1 in MS with Servier,Ā an independent French-based pharmaceutical company pursuing innovative treatments in several diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular, metabolic, central nervous system, psychiatric, bone, muscle and joint diseases. “The successful IPO will now allow GeNeuro to extend MS studies of GNbAC1 into the US, where GeNeuro has kept all the rights, and initiate trials in other autoimmune diseases, including type-1 diabetes and CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy), an orphan neurological disease,ā Martin-Garcia said. CHANGE-MS is fully funded by a partnership between GeNeuro and Servier.Ā Servier is set to develop and commercialize GNbAC1 in MSĀ throughout the world. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Inacio, PhD Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship. Tags CHANGE-MS, GeNeuro, GNbAC1, Servier
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