Pharmaceutical developer CereMark Pharma is highlighting the receipt of a patent for flornaptitril, a PET radiopharmaceutical that the company has licensed from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Flornaptitril is designed to enhance PET scans by binding with accumulations of tau and beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. The company believes that distributions of the radiotracer on PET scans can help differentiate between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and Alzheimer's disease.
Flornaptitril binds with both tau aggregates and beta-amyloid plaque to enhance PET scan imaging of these pathological proteins in the brain. Image courtesy of Ceremark.Several hundred subjects who have cognitive impairment -- due to either traumatic brain injury or disease -- have been studied with flornaptitril, according to the company. CereMark is close to finalizing a phase III multisite clinical trial with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the radiotracer.
The patent was awarded to UCLA.
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