Parkinson’s UK creates Vivifi Biotech to research ‘promising’ experimental treatment

Charity organisation Parkinson’s UK has announced it is creating a dedicated company to drive forward research into an experimental treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

The company, Vivifi Biotech, has been created through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech – the drug development arm of Parkinson’s UK.

It will seek to further the development of Glial Cell-Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF), and investigate if this naturally-occurring protein can regenerate dying brain cells in people with Parkinson’s and reverse their condition,

Previously, Parkinson’s UK funded a trial to investigate GDNF, which was led by MedGenesis Therapeutix.

Parkinson’s UK has now signed an agreement with MedGenesis, which means that Vivifi will own the intellectual property and data needed to continue development of the GDNF programme.

Although the initial trial did not meet its ‘critical’ endpoint, the new biotech company will investigate if the challenges presented in this first study can be overcome to further the development of GDNF for the treatment of Parkinson’s.

In the first study, there were some ‘encouraging’ signs of improvements among those receiving GDNF treatment, but there was no statistically significant difference between the active treatment group and the placebo group.

However, further analysis of the data using a combined metric – the Parkinson’s Disease Comprehensive Response (PDCORE) – showed a significant difference between GDNF-treated patients and placebo.

“While our initial trial didn’t meet its critical endpoint, it did reveal robust evidence indicating that GDNF can possibly reverse Parkinson’s,” said Arthur Roach, head of research at Parkinson’s UK.

“This is why Parkinson’s UK is committed to continuing research into this potential treatment. We’ve created this company, Vivifi Biotech, through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, our drug development arm.

"The new company will bring the right people together to plan a new trial that meets the needs of patients, regulatory authorities and potential investors. Most importantly, we need to ensure that all the challenges identified by the previous trial are addressed and overcome,” he added.