Full Press Release Details
Co-Founding Scientist Professor Rudolph Tanzi,
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
on Prana Developments and Future Prospects for
Approaches for Alzheimer's Disease
Australia - July 8, 2008 - Rudolph
E. Tanzi, Ph.D., Co-Founding Scientist of Prana
Biotechnology Limited (NASDAQ: PRAN / ASX: PBT),
biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of treatments
for neurodegenerative disorders, was invited this past May to testify in front
of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on the Future of Alzheimer's:
Breakthroughs and Challenges. The hearing, lead by Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR),
discussed Alzheimer's Disease as
growing crisis and how the United States can accelerate its efforts against
disease. Additional participants included Sandra Day O'Connor, Former Supreme
Court Justice, Member of the Alzheimer's Study Group, Newt Gingrich, Former
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Member of the Alzheimer's Study Group,
Charles Jackson, Alzheimer's patient and Suzanne Carabone, Alzheimer's patient
recent failed clinical studies of what were once-promising Alzheimer's
drugs have now attracted much attention to Prana and the
future of therapeutic treatments to Alzheimer's disease. In
response Dr. Tanzi, an
internationally recognized authority on Alzheimer's disease who has
co-discovered three of the four known genes that cause Alzheimer's disease,
information to the U.S. Senate on the differing Abeta-targeted therapeutic
approaches, and commented upon the ongoing clinical trials in Alzheimer's
material from the testimonial included:
theories concerning the interaction between metals and the protein Abeta in
brain are the basis of the company's treatments for Alzheimer's and other
neurodegenerative diseases. Prana's proprietary lead compound, PBT2, recently
concluded a Phase IIa trial in early Alzheimer's disease, which demonstrated
safety and tolerability, and significant reductions in Abeta 42 and improvement
in Executive Function performance in cognitive tests. Prana will be presenting
this data at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in July.
stated, "Unlike other approaches, Prana's PBT2 appears to neutralize the
neurotoxicity of Abeta and facilitates it's clearance from the brain. Prana's
latest clinical trial results were highly encouraging, by significantly lowering
Abeta 42 in the cerebrospinal fluid, and improving cognition in the executive
function of patients over a 12-week period. I testified to the U.S. Senate
therapies targeted against the amyloid beta protein offer the best chance at
slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. It is my strong belief
PBT2 is among the very best therapies available for achieving this
Rudolph Tanzi is a Professor of Neurology (and Neuroscience) at Harvard
University, and serves as the Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit
consisting of eight laboratories in the MassGeneral Institute for
Neurodegenerative Diseases at MGH. Since 1982, Dr. Tanzi has focused his studies
on Alzheimer's disease (AD). He isolated the first familial Alzheimer's disease
(FAD) gene, known as the amyloid
-protein (A4) precursor (APP) in 1987, and another in 1995, called presenilin
2. Dr. Tanzi is also a co-founder of the "Metal hypothesis of Alzheimer's
disease". His laboratory first discovered that the metals zinc and copper are
necessary for the formation of neurotoxic assemblies of the AD-associated
peptide, A , the main component of -amyloid deposits in brains of AD patients.
These studies have led to ongoing clinical trials for treating and preventing
by targeting A metal interactions.
has co-authored over 320 research articles and reviews, including three of
top ten most cited papers in AD research over the last decade over which time
cited scientist in the field of AD research. He is also a co-author of a popular
trade book on Alzheimer's disease entitled "Decoding Darkness: The Search for
the Genetic Causes of Alzheimer's Disease". Dr. Tanzi has received several
awards for his work including the two highest awards for Alzheimer's disease
research: The Metropolitan Life Foundation Award and The Potamkin
Prana Biotechnology Limited
Biotechnology was established to commercialize research into Alzheimer's disease
and other major age-related neurodegenerative disorders. The
company was incorporated in 1997 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
March 2000 and listed on NASDAQ in September 2002. Researchers at prominent
international institutions including The University of Melbourne, The Mental
Health Research Institute (Melbourne) and Massachusetts General Hospital, a
teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, contributed to the discovery of
further information, please visit our web site at www.pranabio.com.
press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. The Company has tried to identify such forward-looking
statements by use of such words as "expects," "intends," "hopes," "anticipates,"
"believes," "could," "may," "evidences" and "estimates," and other similar
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statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to any statements
relating to the Company's drug development program, including, but not limited
to the initiation, progress and outcomes of clinical trials of the Company's
drug development program, including, but not limited to, PBT2, and any other
statements that are not historical facts. Such statements involve risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties
relating to the difficulties or delays in financing, development, testing,
regulatory approval, production and marketing of the Company's drug components,
including, but not limited to, PBT2, the ability of the Company to procure
additional future sources of financing, unexpected adverse side effects or
inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the Company's drug compounds, including,
not limited to, PBT2, that could slow or prevent products coming to market,
uncertainty of patent protection for the Company's intellectual property or
trade secrets, including, but not limited to, the intellectual property relating
to PBT2, and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings the Company
makes with Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual reports
From 20-F and its reports on Form 6-K. Such statements are based on management's
current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various
factions including those risks and uncertainties mentioned or referred to in
this press release. Accordingly, you should not rely on those forward-looking
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