Alterity Therapeutics ((ASX: ATH, NASDAQ:ATHE) (“Alterity” or “the Company”), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing disease modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that a new composition of matter patent has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent was allowed following expedited review by the USPTO.Â
The patent, entitled, “Compounds for and methods of treating diseases”, provides Alterity with 20 years of exclusivity and expands its intellectual property estate for treating major neurodegenerative diseases. The patent is based on a new scaffold that is distinct from recent patents granted to Alterity and includes more than 100 novel compounds, at least one of which has demonstrated efficacy in an animal model of dementia.
Importantly, the patent covers iron chaperones which are small molecules capable of binding and redistributing excess iron in the central nervous system. Excess brain iron has been implicated in the pathology of many important neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases[1].Â
