High Free Copper Levels in AD Patients Confirmed

A study using a new pharmacodiagnostic device found that free serum copper was significantly higher in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients than in controls.

A 70% increase in free serum copper was detected in AD patients versus age-matched controls. Additionally, percent free copper detected was significantly higher in AD patients than in age-matched controls. The percent of free serum copper is the amount of free serum copper expressed as a percent of total serum copper.

Free copper levels in serum were measured by a device called FreeBound, which uses technology similar to the glucometer that incorporates electrochemical detection. Serum is applied to test strips attached to a meter. The meter is programmed to separate and measure free copper versus bound copper on the test strip, and the results are immediately displayed on the meter.

Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI, USA), a pharmaceutical company that develops innovative late-stage drug candidates for the treatment of neurologic and fibrotic diseases, announced the clinical results of Alzheimer's disease test using FreeBound, Pipex's pharmacodiagnostic device for measurement of serum free and total copper. The samples were provided by the Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Center.

David A. Newsome, M.D., CSO of Pipex, commented, "These highly statistically significant findings confirm previously reported scientific results implicating the involvement of elevated levels of ‘free' copper in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. One possibility is that these patients present with increased free copper due to their dietary source of the highly oxidative mineral. It is well known that many municipal tap water sources as well as dietary supplements, such as multi-vitamins which generally contain up to 2 mg of free copper, can supply more copper than an elderly patient might need. FreeBound's ability to detect unbound copper is seminal to creating therapeutic modalities for the treatment of this devastating central nervous system [CNS] disease, as well as being able to detect other copper mediated disorders, such as Wilson's disease, Parkinson's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis {ALS], autism, and schizophrenia.”

The clinical studies were complemented by preclinical studies that show that AD amyloid-beta plaques, when treated with copper-chelating agents in vitro, loosen and reverse fibril formation as determined by spectroscopy.

Steve H. Kanzer, chairman and CEO of Pipex, commented, "The purpose of this study is to build upon and confirm free copper's involvement in Alzheimer's disease. These results, along with our recent results using Coprexa, our lead anti-copper molecule, which reduced insoluble amyloid-beta, a key AD protein by 40% in animal models, provides additional basis for further testing of this approach in this important CNS-localized disease. Our FreeBound diagnostic device should allow clinicians to pre-select patients with elevated levels of CNS copper who might benefit from copper-reduction therapy.”


Related Links:
Pipex Pharmaceuticals