In Parkinson disease so called dopamine neurons degenerate and die and all current drugs and treatments fail to slow down or stop neurodegeneration. We develop a drug that slows down and stops neurodegeneration and perhaps even restores damaged nerves.

GeneCode is developing a novel anti-PD drug imitating GDNF peptide pathway activation that alleviates both motor and non-motor symptoms in PD patients, protecting and restoring lesioned dopamine neurons as well as potentially increasing dopamine levels in brain tissue. GeneCode’s unique solution uses small molecule compounds that penetrate the blood-brain barrier, target the GFL receptor complex and mimic GFL (GDNF family of ligands) biological effects in neurons, promoting survival in the affected dopaminergic neuronal pathways. Once fully developed, the PD drug would be administered weekly or less frequently as an oral treatment. Considering the importance of GDNF family ligands and/or RET-signalling pathways for other groups of cells, applications of compounds developed by GeneCode are not limited to PD, but can be applied to cure other medical conditions such as ALS, IBD, RP etc.

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Drug Design, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurological Disease, Novel Small Molecule, Parkinson Disease, Pharmaceutical Development.