PharmAthene's Recombinant Butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE) May Play A Neuroprotective Role in Alzheimer...( ANNAPOLIS Md. April 9 2008 /- Pha...),Health

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 9, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc. (Amex: PIP) a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats, announced today that scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of PharmAthene's collaboration partners, have recently obtained new data suggesting that recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE), a non-pegylated form of Protexia(R), may have neuroprotective benefits.

Recent research conducted by Dr. Hermona Soreq and co-workers at the Alexander Silberman Life Sciences Institute at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with PharmAthene, examined the role of rBChE in the prevention of amyloid plaques, which are believed to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

"The role of amyloid plaques in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease is well documented, and a number of approaches have been studied which attempt to block their formation by interfering at critical stages in this complex pathway," said Hermona Soreq, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Dean of Sciences at The Hebrew University. "Our preliminary results are especially intriguing as they continue to suggest that rBChE is effective not only in inhibiting plaque formation, but also in potentially attenuating neurotoxicity. The accumulating data provide compelling evidence that rBChE may serve as a natural protector against amyloid toxicity. In view of the empirical evidence gathered to date, the role of rBChE in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease merits closer scrutiny and understanding."

Recent in vitro data have demonstrated that rBChE effectively blocked the formation of amyloid
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