Mitotech and Clinical Progress for Mitochondrially Targeted Antioxidants

The path from laboratory to clinic is a lengthy one. It helps to keep an eye on specific projects across the years to better calibrate one's expectations for new lines of research. Today's example of the mitochondrially targeted antioxidant molecule SkQ1, a form of plastiquinone, has been under development for quite the long time, starting with Russian lab work that first attracted my notice ten years ago - and of course had been going on for quite some time prior to that, stuck on the wrong side of the language barrier to catch the best opportunities for investment and interest. Following years of animal studies of various sorts, SkQ1 is presently being brought to the clinic by the European company Mitotech. They are in the midst of a human trial for dry eye syndrome and have recently obtained a patent in the US: Mitotech S.A. is granted a patent in anti-aging Mitotech S.A., a Luxembourg based clinical stage biotechnology company focused on age-related disorders, announced that it received a U.S. patent covering deceleration of aging in living organisms by its lead compound SkQ1. "The main aspect of the mechanism of action of our lead compound is protecting mitochondria from oxidative stress, which is a confirmed key factor in cell aging. That's one of the reasons SkQ1 proved to be effective in a wide spectrum of models of age-related disorders. This particular patent, however, may pave the way for Mitotech to pursue aging as a standalone indication. Of course, t...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Of Interest Source Type: blogs