SAN FRANCISCO and GENEVA, Feb. 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amarantus BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:AMBS), a biotechnology company focused on developing diagnostics in neurology, and therapeutic products with the potential for orphan drug designation in the areas of neurology, psychiatry, ophthalmology and regenerative medicine, announced that its abstract titled, "The LymPro ® Assay: A Biomarker For Alzheimer's Disease Using Blood Samples From Clinically Diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease And Cognitively Intact Subjects," was accepted for poster presentation at the 12th International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders (AD/PD TM 2015) being held March 18-22, 2015, in Nice, France.
The poster will highlight the positive data analysis of whole blood samples from 140 subjects (71 Alzheimer's disease and 69 age matched controls) using the company's LymPro Test blood-based assay for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The LymPro Test measures lymphocyte proliferation in response to a mitogenic stimulus and quantifies the extent to which lymphocytes have entered the cell division cycle. Cell cycle dysregulation in neurons is a key pathology in AD, that results in neuronal death and cognitive decline. In the LymPro test, lymphocyte measurements are used as a surrogate for this neuronal cell dysfunction. The analysis demonstrates that, in combination with standard of care clinical measurements, LymPro can give physicians greater confidence that an Alzheimer's diagnosis is truly accurate.
"We are very pleased to have this confirmatory LymPro abstract accepted for a poster session at one of the premiere scientific congresses focused on neurological disorders," said Gerald E. Commissiong, President & CEO of Amarantus BioSciences Holdings, Inc. "We believe the LymPro Test is an important leading Alzheimer's biomarker assay and is a key diagnostic asset for advancing robust therapeutic clinical studies in Alzheimer's disease. This conference will provide important exposure as we continue building a significant customer base for blood-based biomarker services in Alzheimer's disease, with the ultimate shared goal of improving the current standard of care used to treat AD."
The poster data to be presented at AD/PD 2015 by Louis Kirby, Corporate Advisor and Medical Director of Amarantus Diagnostics, confirms the consistent and accurate ability of the LymPro Test to distinguish univariate and multivariate combination indicators of lymphocyte proliferation AD biomarkers from controls. Additionally, the analysis corroborates two previous peer-reviewed publications in which data from the Company's recently completed LP-002 clinical study established the LymPro Test as an advantageous diagnostic that can serve as the first step in a multistep diagnostic process for early identification of Alzheimer's disease.
About Alzheimer's disease
According to the Alzheimer's Association, it is estimated that over 5.4 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Over 500,000 patients are diagnosed annually, with nearly one-in-eight older Americans affected by the disease. Alzheimer's disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The cost of unpaid care in the United States is estimated at over $210 billion annually. Total payments for care are estimated at over $200 billion annually, including $140 billion in cost to Medicare and Medicaid. Alzheimer's expenditures in the United States are expected to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2050. There is no cure or effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Worldwide, about 35.6 million individuals have the disease and, according to the World Health Organization, the number will double every 20 years to 115.4 million people with Alzheimer's by 2050.
About LymPro Test ®
The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test ® ) is a diagnostic blood test that determines the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to withstand an exogenous mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. It is believed that certain diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease, are the result of compromised cellular machinery that leads to aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common immune-based relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain.
About Amarantus BioScience Holdings, Inc.
Amarantus BioScience Holdings (AMBS) is a biotechnology company developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases in the areas of neurology, psychiatry, ophthalmology and regenerative medicine. AMBS has licensed Eltoprazine, a Phase 2b ready small molecule indicated for Parkinson's disease Levodopa-induced dyskinesia and adult ADHD. AMBS has an exclusive worldwide license to the Lymphocyte Proliferation test, (LymPro Test ® ), which was developed by Prof. Thomas Arendt, Ph.D., from the University of Leipzig, for Alzheimer's disease and owns the intellectual property rights to a therapeutic protein known as mesencephalic-astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor ("MANF") and is developing MANF-based products as treatments for brain and ophthalmic disorders. AMBS also owns intellectual property for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (NuroPro) and the discovery of neurotrophic factors (PhenoGuard ™ ).
In November 2014, AMBS entered into an exclusive option agreement with Lonza Walkersville, Inc., a subsidiary of Lonza Group Ltd., to acquire Cutanogen Corporation, a subsidiary of Lonza Walkersville, to develop Engineered Skin Substitute (ESS-W), an autologous skin replacement product for the treatment of Stage 3 and Stage 4 intractable severe burns.
On January 12, 2015, AMBS announced the acquisition of DioGenix, Inc., a specialized neuro-diagnostics company, and owns the rights to MSPrecise ® , a proprietary next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) assay for the identification of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at first clinical presentation. On January 15, 2015, AMBS executed a one-year exclusive option agreement with Georgetown University to enter into a license for the patent rights related to certain blood based biomarkers for memory loss and Alzheimer's disease jointly owned by Georgetown University and University of Rochester. For further information please visit www.Amarantus.com , or connect with the Company on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Google+ .
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