Inventors:
Stephen C. Pak - Pittsburgh PA, US
David Hirsch Perlmutter - Pittsburgh PA, US
Gary A. Silverman - Pittsburgh PA, US
Assignee:
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education - Pittsburgh PA
International Classification:
A61K 31/454, A61P 25/16, A61K 31/5415, A61K 31/138, A01K 67/033, A61K 31/34, A61K 31/704, A61K 31/545, C07H 21/00, A61K 49/00, A61P 25/28, A61K 31/337
US Classification:
800 3, 514322, 5142258, 514646, 514449, 514468, 514 27, 514209, 536 235, 800 9, 800 12
Abstract:
The present invention relates to methods of treatment of clinical disorders associated with protein aggregation comprising administering, to a subject, an effective amount of an anti-protein aggregate (“APA”) compound selected from the group consisting of pimozide, fluphenazine (e.g., fluphenazine hydrochloride), tamoxifen (e.g., tamoxifen citrate), taxol, cantharidin, cantharidic acid, salts thereof and their structurally related compounds. It is based, at least in part, on the discovery that each of the aforelisted compounds were able to promote degradation of aggregated ATZ protein in a model system. According to the invention, treatment with one or more of these APA compounds may be used to ameliorate the symptoms and signs of AT deficiency as well as other disorders marked by protein aggregation, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Huntington's Disease.