FASgen reveals potential stroke therapy data

Baltimore, USA-based drug developer FASgen has announced important results from research into a potential treatment for stroke using one of the firm's proprietary compounds, C75. The company is involved in research in the field of fatty acid synthase inhibition (FASi).

One area of that research has been for the treatment of metabolic disease disorders, including obesity. As the regulation of appetite is centered in the hypothalamus in the brain, research was undertaken to evaluate the safety of the company's compounds in the brain. An unexpected and significant discovery resulted when the studies demonstrated not only that the compounds were non-toxic in the brain, but also they had the positive effect of providing significant neuroprotection in the case of ischemic stroke. In the stroke models tested, C-75 reduced AMPK levels and resulted in neuroprotection by reduced stroke damage, even when administered post stroke.

These findings were recently published in the article, Neuroprotective Effects of Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase Inhibition and Gene Deletion in Stroke, McCullough et al, in the journal Stroke 2007, 38; 2992-2999 (December 11, 2007).