Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern (UT Southwestern) Medical Center are making progress against neurodegenerative disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) using CNM-Au8, a concentrated solution of gold nanocrystals.
Understanding the energy connection: NAD+/NADH ratio
At the heart of this discovery is the restoration of the NAD+/NADH ratio, which is an important indicator of global brain energy capability. As Peter Sguigna, co-author of the study, notes, “We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to prevent or even reverse some neurological disabilities with this strategy.”
CNM-Au8 clinical triumph: trials and results
REPAIR-PD and REPAIR-MS were two key trials that tested CNM-Au8. REPAIR-PD enrolled 13 people between the ages of 30 and 80 who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for three years or less. They had been using stable dopaminergic medicines for at least 12 weeks before to the trial, assuring consistency. In contrast, REPAIR-MS enrolled 11 people aged 18 to 55 who had been diagnosed with stable relapse MS within 15 years of screening. This type of MS, defined by symptom relapse followed by remission, needed patients to be taking the immunotherapy medicine natalizumab.
Sipping on hope: CNM-Au8 administration and intensive monitoring
All participants went on a 12-week journey, drinking 120 cc of CNM-Au8 every morning. The trials began with a full baseline visit, during which patients received an electrocardiogram (ECG), blood tests, physical exams, and symptom grading tailored to their condition. Phosphorous Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (P-MRS) was useful in noninvasively monitoring energy metabolites throughout the brain.
Gold nanocrystals hit the mark
The 12-week treatment resulted in a statistically significant increase of 10.4 percent in the NAD+/NADH ratio across both groups. This remarkable accomplishment demonstrated that CNM-Au8 was efficiently targeting the brain and restored the critical balance in energy metabolism. Interestingly, the effect on the NAD+/NADH ratio diminished when the 12-week CNM-Au8 treatment was completed.
Surprisingly, the researchers found an inverse relationship between baseline and post-treatment levels of ATP and other brain energy molecules. Participants with lower baseline levels observed increases, whilst those with higher baseline levels showed a re-balancing effect, demonstrating CNM-Au8’s subtle impact on different patient profiles.
Clene Nanomedicine Inc. is the primary factor behind the creation of CNM-Au8. They fund the work published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology, which is critical to furthering our understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses. Take a look at this video to find out more about how CNM-Au8 works.
Source study: Journal of Nanobiotechnology—Evidence of brain target engagement in Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis by the investigational nanomedicine, CNM-Au8, in the REPAIR phase 2 clinical trials
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