Researchers Expect Groundbreaking Results
LEIDEN, The Netherlands, December 17, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Top Institute
Pharma presents a new and highly promising research project. The TI Pharma
project is a large-scale study into the brain material of Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's patients, who gave permission to the Netherlands Brain Bank for
their tissue to be used for scientific research. The analysis is a
continuation of highly-promising results from previous studies and focuses on
the genes that could be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease
and Parkinson's disease. The study - that must form the basis for potential
drugs - is one of the largest to be carried out on an international level.

  The project is being realized in cooperation with Solvay Pharmaceuticals
B.V., DNage B.V., the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, the Netherlands
Brain Bank, VU University Amsterdam, VU Medical Center, the Leiden University
Medical Center, Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht and the
Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.
It is a follow-up to previous studies carried out by two public-private
partnerships: that between Solvay Pharmaceuticals, the Netherlands Brain Bank
and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience on the one hand, and DNage and
the Erasmus Medical Center on the other. The highly promising results from
both studies were the reason why TI Pharma opted for a large-scale project.
Principle investigator Joost Verhaagen of the Netherlands Institute for
Neuroscience: "This study is unique in several aspects. Never before has such
a large-scale study been carried out into Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's
disease. Moreover, we have been able to do research on people who did not yet
know they had Alzheimer's disease or in whom the disease was only just
starting. We can therefore follow the very first changes due to the disease
as well as its progression. And that is also unique."
Additionally, this study is using rapidly-aging mouse models from DNage, in
which Alzheimer and Parkinson like symptoms spontaneously occur. Following
this neurodegeneration is also an interesting part of the study.
Verhaagen: "We expect that this study will also yield new insights into the
development of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease and that it could
therefore form the basis for potential drugs."
Daan Crommelin and Victor Nickolson, scientific director and general director
of TI Pharma respectively, are pleased that the top institute has this
project under its wings. "TI Pharma has successfully consolidated the
available strengths: companies, knowledge institutes and universities are now
working together. Thanks to this partnership research results will be
obtained far more quickly. And important steps can be made towards new
drugs."
Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent variant of dementia. Two-thirds of
all patients who are demented suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The disease is
characterized by a progressive deterioration of the psychological
functioning. Alzheimer's disease usually starts at somewhere between 70 and
80 years of age, but can also start at a much younger age. It is estimated
that some 24 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease. There
are 250,000 Alzheimer's patients in the Netherlands. Over the next few
decades this number will double as a result of the aging population.
Parkinson's disease mostly begins at an older age of between 50 and 60 years.
However, about 10% of the patients are younger than 40 years. Parkinson's
disease is mainly characterized by a progressive disruption of the locomotor
system that gravely affects the daily lives of patients and can be
debilitating. The disease arises as a result of nervous cells in the midbrain
dying. The cause of the disease is (still) not known and therefore prevention
and cure are not possible.
About TI Pharma
Within TI Pharma, consortia of industrial and academic research teams conduct
groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary research projects that fit into the
Priority Medicines program of the WHO. Each year, the Dutch government funds
the top institute to a tune of 30 million Euros. The pharmaceutical industry
and academia each contribute an additional 15 million Euros per year. TI
Pharma is becoming an international leader in (bio)pharmaceutical research,
training and education. TI Pharma's fellows are trained in understanding the
intricacies of the entire drug R&D process. See http://www.tipharma.com.
About Solvay Pharmaceuticals B.V.
Solvay Pharmaceiticals B.V. is a research-driven group of companies that
constitute the global pharmaceutical business of the Solvay Group. The
company seeks to fulfill carefully selected unmet medical needs in the
therapeutic areas of cardio-metabolic, neuroscience, influenza vaccines,
gastroenterology, specialized markets and men's and women's health. Its 2006
sales were EUR 2.6 billion and it employs approximately 10,000 people
worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.solvaypharmaceuticals.com.
Solvay Pharmaceuticals B.V. is active in the Netherlands and employs about
1,300 people.
About DNage B.V.
DNage is a subsidiary of Pharming Group NV, a biotech company focusing on the
development of innovative products for the treatment of genetic disorders and
ageing diseases. Pharming's Market Authorization Application for lead product
Rhucin(R) for treatment of acute attacks of Hereditary Angioedema is under
review with the EMEA. The advanced technologies of Pharming include
innovative platforms for the production of protein therapeutics, technology
and processes for the purification and formulation of these products, as well
as technologies in the field of tissue repair via its collaboration with
NovaThera and DNA repair via DNage. Additional information is available on:
http://www.pharming.com and http;//www.dnage.nl.
About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN)
The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) carries out fundamental
neuroscience research with special emphasis on the brain and the visual
system.
The research is multidisciplinary and comprises various levels of biological
complexity:
- genetic and molecular approaches
- cellular approaches and network function
- system approaches
The research is aimed at fundamental mechanisms, the development of normal
functioning, the cause of disorders, and the development of diagnostic and
therapeutic strategies
About the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB): http:/www.brainbank.nl
The NBB is a department of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and
considered worldwide as an excellent brain bank performing rapid autopsies
with impressively short post mortem delays of donors that gave informed
consent for the use of their brain and clinical files for research. Since its
start in 1985, the NBB has provided tissue from 2806 autopsies of which 700
Alzheimer's disease, 124 Parkinson's disease, 1000 controls and 1100 other
diseases to 400 research projects all over the world, resulting in 600
papers. The NBB has 2000 registered donors.
About Leiden University Medical Center
Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) is strongly committed to the
advancement of health care, through research and innovation. In particular,
the focus is on translational research, with the overall aim to accelerate
findings from the laboratory to clinical application, and to the market. LUMC
has a reputation as a pioneering institute, both nationally and
internationally.
Over het Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS)
The Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) was established in
1992 and is the research division of the Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Science Faculty, Utrecht University.
Its mission: To carry out high-quality fundamental research in the
pharmaceutical sciences. Specifically, to perform conceptual research focused
on the discovery, development, and use of drugs. In addition, within UIPS,
research scientists are trained in the field of the pharmaceutical sciences.
The total research capacity at UIPS in 2006 is 111.4 fte. In 2006 123 (59.4
fte) PhD students were employed within UIPS. Total budget in 2005 was : EUR
11,2 million; 1st flow + 2nd flow + contract funding. Funding for equipment
in 2006 amounts to EUR 3.0 million.
About Utrecht University
Utrecht University is one of Europe's leading research universities recognised
internationally for its high-quality approach to both research and teaching.
Founded in 1636, Utrecht University has always focused strongly on research.
Thanks to its solid basis in discipline-based scholarship, it is at the
forefront of developments in interdisciplinary knowledge in fields ranging
from biochemistry and biophysics to human rights and cultural studies.
Utrecht University holds the 42nd position in the Shanghai rankings
(http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm) of the world's top universities. With
this position Utrecht is ranked number one in the Netherlands and seventh in
Europe. For further information, visit: http://www.uu.nl.
About the University Medical Center Utrecht
The University Medical Center Utrecht was founded in 1999, as the result of
the merger of the University Hospital, the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital and
the Medical Faculty of Utrecht University. With a tradition that stretches
back for more than 180 years, it has an outstanding reputation in research,
patient care, and education and training. UMC Utrecht employs a total of
9,238 people, disposes of 1,042 beds, has 350,000 outpatient visits and
26,244 admissions a year. For further information, visit:
http://www.umcutrecht.nl/overumcutrecht/missie_en_strategie.
About Erasmus MC
Erasmus MC (University Medical Center Rotterdam) is among the top research
institutes in the Netherlands. Research activities range from fundamental
biomedical research, patient-related research and epidemiology to public
health, health care policy and management. As the largest university medical
center in the Netherlands, with 1,800 students of medicine, 1,500 staff
members and more than 10,000 employees, Erasmus MC provides advanced medical
care to 3 million people living in the southwestern part of the Netherlands.
For further information, visit: www.erasmusmc.nl.
About VU University Amsterdam
VU University Amsterdam brings with its excellent educational and research
programs together talents in a wide range of disciplines from many different
countries. For VU University Amsterdam academic endeavor is more valuable
when it makes a contribution to our world. For further information, visit:
http://www.vuamsterdam.com//home/index.cfm .
About VU University Medical Center
The academic nature of VU University Medical Center is reflected in the
assistance offered to those suffering from rare diseases and to patients who
require intensive and complex care, in the form of tertiary clinical care and
tertiary referral-center care. Scientific research and patient care are based
on five pivotal points, including patient care, training, educational
programs and research. The major feature is that various departments and
units participate in the pivotal points. The lines of scientific research
within each of the pivotal points are brought together in a multidisciplinary
research institute. The pivotal points and associated research institutes in
VU University Medical Center are: O cancer and immunology (VU University
Medical Center Institute for Cancer and Immunology) O brain (Research
Institute for Clinical and Experimental Neurosciences) O vital functions
(Institute for Cardiovascular Research) O extramural and transmural
(Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine) O movement .
For general information please visit our website: http://www.tipharma.com

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