PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Knopp Biosciences LLC, a privately held drug discovery and development company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory and neurological diseases with a high unmet need, today announced a research collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, to advance the development of innovative treatments for a rare and serious form of neonatal epilepsy.
The principal investigator in the collaboration is Edward C. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Molecular & Human Genetics at Baylor. Dr. Cooper’s laboratory is focused on understanding and developing new treatments for epilepsy, including rare genetic epilepsies associated with dysfunction of the developing infant brain. These diseases include KCNQ2 neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, which is caused by mutations in the KCNQ2 gene and loss of function in nerve-cell potassium channels.
Knopp has developed a large library of drug molecules designed as Kv7.3/7.3 channel activators, with a lead candidate entering preclinical toxicology studies. Under the sponsored research agreement, the Cooper Lab will characterize the effects of Knopp’s drug candidates on normal and mutated Kv7.2/7.3 ion channel activity.
“We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Cooper, whose pioneering work has opened new possibilities for the treatment of devastating childhood epilepsies,” said Michael Bozik, M.D., Chief Executive Office of Knopp. “The Cooper Lab at Baylor will play a key role in characterizing how our molecules interact with Kv7 channels closely linked with epilepsy and abnormal brain development, which we anticipate will help us to identify and advance drug candidates for further development.”
“Variants in KCNQ2 and related genes are now appreciated to be among the most common genetic causes of neonatal onset-epilepsy and disorders where epilepsy is accompanied by severe global disability,” said Dr. Cooper. “This collaboration will allow us to move toward testing the hypothesis that drugs directly reversing the effects of the disease-causing mutations may be of benefit to patients.”
ABOUT KNOPP BIOSCIENCES LLC
Knopp Biosciences, based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, is a privately held drug discovery and development company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory and neurological diseases with a high unmet need. Knopp’s clinical-stage small molecule, dexpramipexole, is entering Phase 3 development in hypereosinophilic syndrome and Phase 2 clinical development in eosinophilic asthma. Knopp’s preclinical Kv7 platform is directed to small molecule treatments for neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, other rare epilepsies, tinnitus, and neuropathic pain. Please visit www.knoppbio.com.
