Alzheimer's Disease affects over 6 million elderly Americans and is often difficult to detect and effectively treat. A New Mexico company just landed a patent that proves its technology could help solve this problem.
TNeuroPharma is a biomarker and therapeutic company based in Albuquerque. It's working on a new way to detect and treat Alzheimer's in patients using T-cells.
The company announced last week that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved a patent for the T-cell technology it's developing. The approval is for a "method patent," said Kristina Trujillo, TNeuroPharma's CEO. It's licensed exclusively to TNeuroPharma for the company's method of detecting T-cells in patients to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's, according to a news release from the company.
Targeting patients' T-cells is a new way of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's, Trujillo said.
"Our [technology] is on the leading edge because we've actually identified the specific immune cells that are causing Alzheimer's," she said.
TNeuroPharma wants to raise $4 million to take its diagnostic technology into a clinical testing facility. Trujillo said that she hopes to raise the $4 million by the middle of next year. Landing the patent could help make the company more attractive for potential investors, Trujillo said.
"Now that we know that [the patent office] has accepted our claims, it takes away a lot of uncertainty and ensures investors that yes, we have the sole rights to this," she said.
Christopher Wheeler, Ph.D., TNeuroPharma's Chief Science Officer, found that dysfunctional T-cells can be one of the root causes of Alzheimer's Disease as a scientist at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Wheeler is named on the patent, which Cedar-Sinai owns.
While the therapeutic uses of the T-Track technology only work in animals, its diagnostic capabilities can be used in humans. Eventually, T-Track testing could replace other forms of diagnostic testing, like PET scans and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, according to the news release.
TNeuroPharma has already raised over $1.2 million, with investments from angel investors and New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Innovation Fund. It's also one of 11 portfolio companies under the New Mexico Start-Up Factory, a startup support organization for entrepreneurs with a technological focus.
