Huntsville company developing new Parkinson's medication

Serina CEO/President Randall Moreadith

Patients will be able to take this once a week in a standard insulin syringe.

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"If you want that drug to come off very slowly, we can use our chemistry to plan the release of that and that's what we've done with our Parkinson's drug."

A Huntsville biotech company is trying to change the way those with Parkinson's disease and restless leg syndrome receive their medicine. Serina TheraputicsCEO/president Randall Moreadith says his company's polymer patent allows drugs to last much longer.

"If you want that drug to come off very slowly, we can use our chemistry to plan the release of that and that's what we've done with our Parkinson's drug."

Their drug, SER-214, will be administered much differently than current 
medications. One of the more common Parkinson's medications, Levodopa, has
been one of the primary ways of treatment for decades, but the side effects include dyskinesia, a movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle movements. Moreadith hopes SER-214 will be not only more effective in treatment, but also more effective in limiting some of the drawbacks which come with Levodopa. 

"The drug that's attached to the polymer is a very potent drug to treat the symptoms and signs of Parkinson's disease," Moreadith says, "and patients will be able to take this once a week in a standard insulin syringe."

Serina has benefited from a recent $5 million dollar private donation. This funding will help the company move forward toward their next goal -- human clinical trials.

"We'll start that clinical trial around the beginning of the year," Moreadith says, "We'll begin the trial in patients that have Parkinson's Disease so we can determine if the drug actually does work."

Moreadith believes the generous locally-funded donations show this community wants Huntsville to become the premier location in biotech.

"The community here wants Northern Alabama to be at the forefront in terms of biotechnology in the next decade," Moreadith says.

Serina currently has a partnership with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, and one of their main goals is to have a major company acquire them, which would be a major benefit to current shareholders.

Serina Therapeutics is a privately held pharmaceutical company located at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

http://www.waaytv.com/tech_alabama/huntsville-company-developing-new-parkinson-s-medication/article_7dcb5b28-9c24-11e4-b1b0-673c8e491839.html#.VLgkH6NqRV8.gmail