The Michael J. Fox Foundation Awards Grant to Support STATegics’ Preclinical Studies

MENLO PARK, Calif. - June 25, 2013 - PRLog -- STATegics, Inc. announced today that The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded the Company a grant of $469,890 to advance its proprietary erythropoietin receptor agonist compounds for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  The funding is provided through the Foundation’s Therapeutic Pipeline Program and will be dependent on achieving specific milestones.  The award will support preclinical evaluation of STATegics’ compounds in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  

"One of our Foundation's major goals is to find a disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s," said Todd Sherer, PhD, CEO of MJFF. "Erythropoietin receptors have shown the potential to protect the dopamine cells that die during the course of the disease and we are enthusiastic to see the results of the study."

“This grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation will support the advancement of STATegics’ small molecule erythropoietin receptor agonists for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,” said Juha Punnonen, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of STATegics.  ”The award allows for more detailed characterization of the compounds’ potential to protect dopaminergic neurons in preclinical studies, and we are hopeful that the results will warrant subsequent advancement of a lead compound into clinical testing.”

About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder affecting over one million people in the US and an estimated 5 million people globally.  Parkinson's disease associates with diminished production of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter, resulting in progressive impairment of motor function characterized by tremors, rigidity and slow movements.  There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease.  Several drugs have been approved by the FDA to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, but there are no drugs approved as disease-modifying therapeutics.  

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
As the world's largest private funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research programs, and has invested over $325 million in research to date. For more information, visit http://www.michaeljfox.org.

About STATegics, Inc., and Small Molecule Cytokine Receptor Agonists
STATegics, Inc. is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company in Menlo Park, CA, committed to the discovery and development of small molecule modulators of cytokine receptors.  The company’s lead programs are focused on small molecule agonists of erythropoietin and thrombopoietin receptors for the treatment of central nervous system diseases and thrombocytopenia, respectively.  In addition to Parkinson’s disease, STATegics’ erythropoietin receptor agonists demonstrate promising properties for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia, an orphan neurodegenerative disease with no treatments currently available, and acute kidney injury, a sudden loss of kidney function associated with significant morbidity and mortality.  STATegics is also developing screening technologies for efficient and rapid identification of small molecules targeting allosteric sites of cytokine receptors.  STATegics’ programs have been supported by grants from the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, Department of Defense, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project program.  For more information, visit http://www.stategics.com.

Contact:  Juha Punnonen, CEO, STATegics, Inc.:  juha.punnonen@stategics.com