In short
Another group of participants with Parkinson's was dosed in July. Dr. Jack Jacobs presented the research at FreedomFest 2024 in Las Vegas, and planning continued for brain blood-flow scans before and after dosing at Washington University in St. Louis.
The July update was shorter than usual. Another group of people with Parkinson's was dosed that month. Other members of the team gave presentations at a conference in Las Vegas, where the update said more than 100 people attended Dr. Jack Jacobs's talk. Two participants with Parkinson's came to the conference to describe their own experience.
The update shared three sets of comments. One came from the parents of a young woman with autism, one from a participant with Parkinson's after a visit to a neurologist, and one from a participant with progressive supranuclear palsy, writing about falls.
The brain's blood supply
Dr. Jacobs used his section to explain why the team focuses on blood vessels. He wrote that the brain makes up about 2% of body weight but receives 20% to 25% of the body's blood supply. Two sets of arteries, the carotid and the vertebral arteries, feed a vast network of smaller vessels. These deliver glucose and other nutrients to billions of nerve cells and carry away their waste.
The team believes the underlying problem in vascular disease of the brain is endothelial cell dysfunction, meaning the cells that line the blood vessels become unhealthy and leaky. Dr. Jacobs wrote that this can lead to stroke and to neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Blocked or burst small vessels can cause mini strokes, which over time can add up to a form of dementia.
Stroke and animal research
He gave background on stroke, the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, with about 800,000 strokes each year. About 85% are ischemic strokes, caused by a blocked or narrowed artery. The rest are hemorrhagic strokes, caused by a burst vessel.
Dr. Jacobs then described earlier animal research. In animal models of stroke, FGF-1 given quickly reduced the area of damaged brain tissue. He wrote that the reason is not entirely clear, but may be that FGF-1 keeps stressed nerve cells from dying. He added that, unlike most proteins, FGF-1 has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, the lining that keeps most substances in the blood out of the brain.
He also noted that PET scans, which track how the brain uses glucose, are widely used to follow Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
His last example was a published mouse study of multiple sclerosis. An image showed a blood vessel with a damaged lining that appeared well ordered again after 30 days of FGF-1. The authors of that study suggested vessel-lining damage may be the first step in multiple sclerosis. Dr. Jacobs wrote that this one picture had been a strong motivation for the team.
CEO Dan Montano closed by noting that each month participants with Parkinson's, stroke and dementia report changes in speech, walking, thinking and memory. He wrote that he hoped to move FGF-1 through the FDA process as quickly as possible. The rest of the update covered company matters and other topics.
This summary covers the Parkinson's research in the July 2024 update. The complete update, including the other topics it covered, is below.
Read the complete July 2024 update as published
The text of the update Zhittya sent, word for word. Pictures, charts and layout are in the PDF. Open the PDF.