Sangamo unveils Ph I ZFP data at ADA conf

California, USA-based gene therapy developer Sangamo BioSciences says that data presented at the 67th annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association indicate that diabetic neuropathy patients treated with its vascular endothelial growth factor zinc finger protein activator, SB-509, experienced statistically-significant symptom improvements.

The findings are from a Phase I clinical trial that examined the drug in patients with mild-to-moderate forms of the condition. Study subjects were provided with either SB-509 or placebo, administered as a single injection of 30mg in each leg. Treatment efficacy was assessed using both quantitative sensory testing, which quantifies the perception of vibration, and nerve conduction velocity.

The results showed that treated patients experienced a 42% improvement in QST score, compared with a 13% worsening in the group that received placebo. Additionally, the mean sum of NCV scores was 1.9m/sec in the SB-509 cohort, whereas the average NCV rating dropped 2.3m/sec in the control arm. The firm also reported that the drug had been well tolerated, with no serious adverse events being observed.