Ceregene Reports New Findings Regarding How Parkinson's Brains Respond to Neurotrophic Factors

Data Provide Important Insight and Support Enhanced Dosing Regimen for Ongoing Phase 2b Trial in Parkinson's Disease

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 15, 2011 -- SAN DIEGO, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/

CERE-120, Ceregene's neurotrophic therapy, currently being clinically tested in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), is partially funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. CERE-120 is comprised of a viral vector intended to provide constant, sustained expression of neurturin, a neurotrophic factor shown to rescue dying dopaminergic neurons, restoring their function and protecting them from death. The data in this publication were derived from an analysis of autopsied brain tissue from two patients who were treated in a previous CERE-120 Phase 2 study (see Ceregene press release, May, 2009) and later died of causes unrelated to the treatment. Ceregene has since confirmed and extended these results by showing persistent, targeted NRTN expression in a patient who had been treated with CERE-120 five years earlier.