An international consortium of top European research teams has received significant EU funding for the development of therapeutic vaccines against Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Led by the Austrian biotech company AFFiRiS, the consortium will use a novel tandem strategy to advance the development of two therapeutic vaccine candidates in parallel. They are both unique in the potential for disease modification, something which is sorely missing in PD as well as in MSA. Both candidates target a protein called alpha-synuclein, which plays a key role in the onset and progression of PD and MSA. Additionally, the group attempts to identify biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic value. Altogether, the consortium exerts medical and scientific key opinion leaders from Germany, France and Austria. The project SYMPATH has been awarded €6m from the 7th Framework Programme of the EU and will run for 48 months.
Acknowledged as a leader in the field of alpha-syn-Immunotherapy, AFFiRiS rallied medical experts and basic scientists from eight high-profile European organisations for the successful SYMPATH project. These institutions include the Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, the INSERM F-CRIN Toulouse and the departments of Neurology at the University Hospitals of Bordeaux and Toulouse from France, as well as the Medical University of Innsbruck's Department of Neurology and PROSENEX from Austria.
The SYMPATH project especially focuses on an outstanding, innovative approach to the clinical testing of the two candidate vaccines. Using a novel tandem strategy, the consortium will concomitantly evaluate the safety and explore the activity of both vaccine candidates in clinical phase I studies for both indications, PD and MSA. In fact, the tandem strategy allows for direct comparison of the two vaccines already at an early stage in clinical development.
Commenting on this innovative approach, Prof. Achim Schneeberger, responsible for clinical development at AFFiRiS and coordinator of SYMPATH, explained: "This clinical testing strategy developed by the SYMPATH consortium sets a new standard for therapeutic vaccines and disease-modifying agents in neurodegenerative diseases such as PD and MSA." Dr. Markus Mandler of AFFiRiS adds: "The tandem strategy is in full accordance with AFFiRiS' clinical maturation program. Based on the excellent safety profile of all vaccine candidates, this program allows for a very quick testing of new vaccine candidates in man. We are very excited that top key opinion leaders are working with us on this project."
