A RECENTLY formed WA company is making significant strides in its quest to find a treatment to arrest Alzheimer’s disease.
UWA research offshoot Alzhyme Pty Ltd has a patent pending on its research and has secured investment to further its research.
Alzheimer’s disease is perhaps one of the world’s most devastating illnesses. It is the most common form of dementia and causes a gradual loss of brain cells, ultimately affecting memory, thought and behaviour.
Alzhyme was formed late last year to develop and commercialise therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease.
TechStart is one of the businesses to invest in Alzhyme and has been involved in securing funding to continue the research.
TechStart venture manager and Alzhyme chief executive officer, Marcus Christian, said while the research was in its early stages, the end result would be “ground-breaking”.
“While we are still at a very early stage, our ultimate goal is to find therapeutics capable of arresting the disease,” he said.
“Current drugs address the symptoms and for a limited time. What we want to do is arrest the disease.
“The research team has taken out a patent on particular research.”
Mr Christian said he could not discuss that research until the patent was finalised in June this year.
Alzhyme received a Biotechnology Innovation Fund grant late last year, which helped attract further funding.
“By securing the BIF grant we were able to leverage that in obtaining private investment,” Mr Christian said.
However, securing funding will remain top of mind for Mr Christian.
“Because it is such a long process we will be continually looking for further capital to fund ongoing research,” he said.
“We go where the money is. Venture capitalists typically invest in local companies. Ideally we would like to secure WA investment. One of the great things about having the project here in Perth is that the researchers are at the top of their field.”
