PureTech Health Collaborator Publishes in Nature Neuroscience Highlighting Key Role of Brain Lymphatics in Neuroinflammatory ...
18 September 2018 - 1:10AM
Business Wire
Work identifies junction between brain and
lymphatics system, offering new insights into disease pathology
Novel therapeutic approach to target
neuroinflammation enabled by a deeper understanding of pathogenic
immune cell trafficking between the CNS and the brain
lymphatics
Underlying intellectual property is exclusively
licensed by PureTech Health and is being developed internally
PureTech Health plc (LSE: PRTC) (“PureTech Health”), an advanced
biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for
dysfunctions of the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis, today notes the
publication of research in Nature Neuroscience that identifies the
physical connection between the brain’s fluid reservoirs and the
meningeal lymphatics, through which immune cells traffic out of the
central nervous system (CNS). The publication also demonstrates
that modulation of this trafficking pattern has the potential to
improve symptoms in many neuroinflammatory conditions, such as
multiple sclerosis (MS). These new insights build on foundational
science published as the cover story of Nature in August 2018, and
the underlying intellectual property is being developed within
PureTech’s Internal division.
The new research was conducted by PureTech Health collaborator
Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D., Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor
and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, and Director, Center for
Brain Immunology and Glia, at the University of Virginia School of
Medicine. Dr. Kipnis’ latest work shows the trafficking of
pathogenic T cells between the cerebrospinal fluid and the
meningeal lymphatics in a preclinical model of MS, making it the
first to identify the role of the meningeal lymphatic system in the
context of neuroinflammatory conditions.
Joseph Bolen, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at PureTech
Health, said: “The latest discovery is the third chapter in the
brain lymphatics narrative that began in 2015 when Dr. Kipnis’
laboratory first reported the existence of the meningeal
lymphatics. The second chapter, published just a few weeks ago in
Nature, revealed that the meningeal lymphatics are the principal
fluid drainage mechanism of the brain and that this function is
critical for brain health. This latest research identifies the
direct connection – or ‘hot spot’ – between the brain and the
meningeal lymphatic system, which offers a novel therapeutic
approach for potentially addressing these debilitating and
devastating neurological diseases.”
Dr. Kipnis commented on this announcement, “This work further
suggests that the lymphatic system plays a critical role in the
central nervous system, specifically, the regulation of meningeal
immunity and neuroinflammation. I look forward to working with
PureTech Health as they further advance these findings to
potentially improve intervention and treatment of neuroinflammatory
disease.”
About the CNS Lymphatics Technology
The central nervous system (CNS) was previously thought to be
devoid of lymphatic vasculature; however, research published
in Nature in 2015 identified the meningeal lymphatic and
glymphatic systems as key maintenance organs within the brain. The
biological crosstalk at the CNS-immune interface has been further
supported by evidence published as the cover story in Nature
in August of 2018, which demonstrated that modulation of lymphatic
function in the brain may potentially prevent or delay diseases
associated with neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s disease,
Huntington’s disease, and age-associated cognitive decline. This
CNS-immune interface has also been supported by evidence published
in Nature Neuroscience in September 2018, which identifies a direct
connection between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the meningeal
lymphatic system, suggesting that modulation of the meningeal
lymphatic vessel network has the potential to ameliorate symptoms
in CNS disorders, such as multiple sclerosis. These insights
underlie PureTech’s approach to designing novel categories of
therapeutics to address debilitating and devastating CNS disorders,
and the related IP has been exclusively licensed to PureTech Health
from the University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group.
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC) is an advanced biopharmaceutical
company developing novel medicines for dysfunctions of the
Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis. The Company has developed deep
insights into the connection between the individual components of
these systems and the resulting role in many chronic diseases,
which have proven resistant to established therapeutic approaches.
By harnessing this emerging field of human biology, PureTech Health
is developing new categories of medicines with the potential to
have great impact on people with serious diseases.
PureTech Health is advancing a rich pipeline of innovative
therapies across two divisions: the Affiliates division and the
Internal division. Its Affiliates division includes two product
candidates that have been filed with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for review and several other novel clinical
and pre-clinical programs. These affiliates are developing
ground-breaking platforms and therapeutic candidates in
collaboration with some of the world’s leading experts.
PureTech’s Internal division is advancing a pipeline fueled by
recent discoveries in lymphatics and immune cell trafficking to
modulate disease in a tissue-specific manner. These programs
leverage the transport and biodistribution of various immune system
components for the targeted treatment of diseases with major unmet
needs, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, and neuroimmune
disorders.
For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or
connect with us on Twitter @puretechh.
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company's future prospects, developments and strategies. The
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and
are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ
materially from current expectations, including, but not limited
to, those risks and uncertainties described in the risk factors
included in the regulatory filings for PureTech Health plc. These
forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the
present and future business strategies of the company and the
environment in which it will operate in the future. Each
forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press
release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements,
neither the company nor any other party intends to update or revise
these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
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InvestorsPureTech HealthAllison Mead Talbot, +1
617-651-3156amt@puretechhealth.comorUS mediaTen Bridge
CommunicationsTom Donovan, +1
857-559-3397tom@tenbridgecommunications.com
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