SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Glialogix, Inc, a San Francisco Bay Area-based emerging biopharma company, today announced that it has entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with Fast Forward, a nonprofit organization established by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society to accelerate the development of treatments for MS. Through this agreement, Fast Forward will provide funding to Glialogix for preclinical studies of GLX1112, a first-in-class neuroprotective therapy designed to slow the accumulation of disability in progressive MS. Supporting the research and development of therapies that reduce the accumulation of disability in progressive MS and restore neuronal function is a key priority of the National MS Society's research campaign.
“The treatment of patients with progressive MS represents a significant unmet medical need. The majority of MS disability occurs in the progressive forms of MS, but drugs that are effective for relapsing MS have shown limited to no efficacy in progressive MS,” said Mark Moore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Glialogix. “The research funding from Fast Forward validates our therapeutic approach for GLX1112 and will help us advance this investigational drug as a potential breakthrough therapy for the treatment of patients with progressive MS. We look forward to working with Fast Forward’s expert staff and advisors.”
The research to be funded by Fast Forward will include advanced pharmacokinetic testing, preclinical models and further mechanistic studies of GLX1112.
"A unique aspect of our program is that the active pharmaceutical ingredient in GLX1112 has already demonstrated a promising efficacy signal in progressive MS patients,” said Thadd Reeder, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Glialogix and lead investigator of the GLX1112 preclinical research. “The support of Fast Forward will enable us to build on that signal by moving GLX1112 closer to clinical trials and may contribute to the development of new clinical trial designs in progressive MS.”
“The National MS Society is committed to identifying and helping develop new therapies for people living with multiple sclerosis,” said Bruce Bebo, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research at the National MS Society. “Glialogix has an innovative therapeutic approach built on promising clinical data. We are pleased to partner with Glialogix to enable faster development of its therapeutic program aimed at helping people with progressive forms of MS, for whom there are so few treatment options.”
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. In progressive forms of MS, chronic neurodegeneration occurs that results in the steady accumulation of disability. Thus far, therapies that are effective for relapsing MS have shown limited to no efficacy in progressive MS.
About Glialogix
Glialogix is a San Francisco Bay Area-based emerging biopharma company that is focused on applying innovation to develop breakthrough therapies for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which represents a $3 billion dollar market opportunity. The Company is developing GLX1112, a unique, potentially high-impact oral therapy for progressive MS. GLX1112’s neuroprotective activity differentiates it from currently approved relapsing MS therapies, which primarily target the peripheral immune system but do not protect neurons directly. This neuroprotective activity may also be useful for treating other neurodegenerative diseases. For more information, visit www.glialogix.com.
About The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. The National MS Society is committed to achieving a world free of MS. For more information, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org.
About Fast Forward
Fast Forward, LLC is a nonprofit organization established by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in order to accelerate the development of treatments for MS. Fast Forward connects university-based MS research with private-sector drug development and funds small biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies to develop innovative MS therapies and repurpose FDA-approved drugs as new treatments for MS. For more information, visit www.fastforward.org.