Amarantus BioSciences, developer of a first-in-class disease-modifying therapeutic protein and Banyan Biomarkers, the leader in developing in vitro diagnostic products to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI), today announced a collaboration agreement to evaluate MANF’s potential as a disease-modifying agent for the treatment of TBI.
“TBI, often referred to as concussions, are the result of devastating acute blows to the head as are typically seen in contact sports or on the battlefield in military settings,” said Gerald Commissiong, President & CEO of Amarantus. “Given my football background, I am hopeful that MANF will prove effective in treating these injuries and believe that this area of research could become an important part of Amarantus’ overall strategy going forward.”
For Amarantus, targeting TBI utilizes the Company’s expertise in Central Nervous System disorders to broaden the potential applications of MANF. It also supports the Company’s strategy to pursue areas where its therapeutics can be paired with diagnostics to expand the utility and adoption of its product candidates.
“MANF appears to have a profile of activity in cerebral ischemia that is consistent with a potential therapeutic benefit in Traumatic Brain Injury,” said Dr. Andreas Jeromin, PhD, Director of Business Development and Assay Core Services at Banyan, “We are hopeful to be able to pair potential therapeutic treatments such as MANF alongside our groundbreaking diagnostic test going forward. This study will also utilize novel biomarkers of neurotoxicity developed by Banyan to assess drug safety.”