DEALS DEALS
PROJECT EL-0413S
VERNE MENDEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
Degenerative diseases have a huge effect both on human suffering and the finances of the medical industry. Could new drugs used to treat the genesis of these diseases be the answer?
Most DNA is located in chromosomes within the nucleus, but Mitochondria have their own small amount of DNA. This material is known as Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mitochondria convert energy from food into a type of food that cells can use; each cell contains at least several hundred mitochondria which can be found in the liquid surrounding the nucleus.
It is the DNA found in the organelles, a specialised part of a cell, that has a specified function and is usually enclosed within it’s own bilayer. It was mapped out a quarter of a century ago, leading to the first gene revolution when a range of around seventy five inherited diseases were discovered as defects in this minute genome. The originating point of mitochondrial DNA damage and its further impact through the body lead to an understanding of how the consequences of this damage go on to create clinical diseases and the progression and complications that ensue; this, in turn, creates a good reference point of the process in individual diseases, for example, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and Parkinson’s. The use of a system such as this that investigates the cascade effect of DNA damage leads to a greater understanding and the ability to design pharmacotherapies for these diseases.
Specialists predict that therapy like this will make substantial changes to the location and timing of healthcare delivery. The intention is to avoid in- patient and long-term care through focusing on earlier and prophylatic care.
These degenerative diseases are an area in which urgent medical breakthroughs are sought. They pose the largest challenges in the healthcare industry today in terms of delivery, the economy and quality of life due to the three percent annual increase in the number of diagnosed patients. Verne Mendel Medical identified that developing drugs could be used to treat the diseases by acting on the mitochondrial DNA. The company is in the process of developing technology to control the damage to the DNA. The company has embarked upon a new journey in the medical industry to halt
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the progression of these tragically common diseases that affect those of advanced years. There are multiple complications of these neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes including deafness, strokes, neuropathies, cardiomyopathy, kidney failure, atherrosclerosis and nuclear degeneration. Verne Mendel Medical’s pioneering mitochondrial drugs will progress the quality and length of life by slowing the effects of these neurodegenerative and metabolic mitochondrial diseases. These drugs are leading the field in personalised medicine.This form of medicine is the brainchild of the FDA and it is one of their key focuses over the coming years in terms of the future of medicine. Diseases such as Parkinson’s could be
Ò The existing companies created to develop drugs specifically to combat neurodegenerative diseases have spent roughly $2bn and have come up shortÓ
diagnosed through a simple technique such as mass blood test screening used to detect damaged mitochondrial DNA. The disease could thus be treated prophylactically and with a drug that treats the mitochondria, as well as treating pre-existing diagnosed patients. Verne Mendel Medical have researched therapeutics that treat two groups of diseases of mitochondrial DNA damage associated with aging; firstly the neurodegenerative, i.e. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, diabetes; secondly, metabolic, including diabetes and the complications it is associated with - atherosclerosis, neuropathy, glaucoma, deafness and ischemic stroke. The human
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