A Blood Glutamate Scavenger for the Treatment of Acute Neurodegenerative Disorders (Yeda)
- Summary
- The life-saving strategy that we propose is based on the use of blood Glu scavenging agents for the treatment acute neurodegenerative conditions in which the excess Glu present in the brain interstitial fluid is thought to trigger neuronal cell death and its accompanying neuropathological sequelae. It can be applied in stroke, perinatal brain damage, traumatic brain injury, bacterial meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, open heart and aneurysm surgery, and hemorrhagic shock.
- Technology Benefits
- A team of researchers at the Weizmann Institute have developed a novel neuroprotective strategy which is based on accelerating the naturally occurring brain-to-blood Glu efflux and attain thereby a decrease of deleterious Glu in brain. This was achieved by the intravenous administration of pyruvate and oxaloacetate which, by decreasing blood Glu levels, increase the driving force for the efflux of Glu from brain to blood. These compounds and others that have been developed by this team are acting as Glu co-substrates in the activation of the blood resident enzymes Glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and the Glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) which transform Glu into 2-ketoglutarate. Intravenous pyruvate alone was already proven to decrease the mortality and protect the brain of rats suffering from cardiac arrest or hemorrhagic shock. Thus, in contrast to the widespread effort to design a treatment of neurodegenerative disorders based on drugs that penetrate into the brain, our approach relies on drugs that remain in the blood circulation and boost a natural brain defense mechanism. i.e the brain to blood efflux of excess brain constituents.
- ID No.
- 1153
- Country/Region
- Israel
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