A-synuclein SPECT agent scopes out Parkinson’s

A prospective Parkinson’s imaging agent taps into alpha-synuclein deposition in the brain, developers ICB International announced April 11.

The biotech company based in La Jolla, Calif., presented their findings earlier last month during the Keystone Symposium for Parkinson disease in Keystone, Co. The research showed evidence of preclinical binding of an alpha-synuclein agent beyond the blood brain barrier. ICBI is calling the agent an a-Syn-Smart Molecule (a-Syn-SM).

"These recent discoveries bring ICBI closer to developing diagnostics and disease modifying therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders," said Ram Bhatt, PhD, the company’s founder. 

This is reportedly the first visualization of alpha-synuclein in a living brain using the agent. Alpha-synuclein is being touted as an ideal target for Parkinson’s disease due to the misfolding and aggregation of these proteins in nerve cells throughout the central nervous systems of people with the neurodegenerative disorder.

The presented study included live rodent models with Parkinson’s and health controls injected with Iodine-125 labeled a-Syn-SM imaged with SPECT. Alpha-synuclein binding was detected within an hour and continued to be present for eight days after injection of the agent. The molecule may also be used in investigational PET agents in the future.

The agent has the potential to perform better than other small molecule agents that don’t appear to have strong impact on the central nervous system and large molecule agents that are usually blocked by the blood brain barrier. Further studies are required to see the definitive value of this novel molecular imaging agent for Parkinson’s disease.