TorreyPines Therapeutics Licenses Intellectual Property from Johns Hopkins Related to Novel Uses of Glutamate Receptor Antagonists for Prevention, Treatment of Stroke, He...( - Research Published in March Issue ...),Health

- Research Published in March Issue of Journal of Experimental Medicine - - Findings Underscore Versatility of TorreyPines' AMPA/Kainate Receptor

Antagonists as Possible Antithrombotic Agents -

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPTX) today announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for intellectual property related to the novel use of glutamate receptor antagonists, including the company's lead compounds tezampanel and NGX426, for the prevention and treatment of stroke, heart attack and other conditions associated with increased platelet aggregation. Financial terms of the license agreement were not disclosed.

The intellectual property is based on research conducted in the JHU laboratories of Craig Morrell, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Charles Lowenstein, M.D., that demonstrates the importance of glutamate release in promoting platelet activation and thrombosis and which identifies the AMPA receptors on platelets as a new antithrombotic target. Published in the March issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, the research shows that platelets treated with an AMPA receptor antagonist are more resistant to agonist-induced aggregation than untreated platelets. The studies also show that mice treated with an AMPA receptor antagonist have a prolonged time to clot formation and blood vessel occlusion compared with control mice.

"This is breakthrough research that further illustrates the importance of glutamate receptors as a new target for a wide range of indications," said Neil Kurtz, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TorreyPines Therapeutics. "Additionally, the findings underscore the versatility and co
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