– Validates clinical hypothesis on which the company’s technology was founded
The Brain Protection Company Pty Ltd, a privately-held medical device company developing novel therapies and diagnostics for age-related dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, today announced “fast track” publication of a manuscript by the European Heart Journal, validating the clinical hypothesis on which their technology is founded.
The Whitehall II study, led by Professor John Deanfield from the University College London (UCL) and co-funded by The Brain Protection Company with the British Heart Foundation, studied 3191 healthy middle-aged volunteers over the course of 10-15 years and was able to predict cognitive decline with a simple neck scan, a decade before symptoms appear.
Volunteers underwent a non-invasive ultrasound of the carotid artery to measure the intensity of pulse waves travelling towards the brain and were then monitored to assess changes in memory and problem-solving ability. Individuals with the highest intensity pulse waves (top 25%) were 50% more likely to develop accelerated cognitive decline over the next decade. This difference was present even after adjustments for confounding factors such as age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes and heart conditions.
Dr. Scott Chiesa, Post-Doctoral Researcher at UCL and the first named author, commented “These findings demonstrate the first direct link between the magnitude of pulsatile wave energy transmitted towards the brain and future impairments in cognitive function, and therefore provide evidence of a novel, easily diagnosable, and potentially treatable cause of cognitive decline in middle-aged adults.”
Cognitive decline is a noticeable and measurable decrease in abilities such as memory, language, thinking and judgement and is an early sign of dementia. Dementia affects approximately 50 million people worldwide with nearly 10 million new cases each year.
“We are pleased the pulse intensity theory of dementia has been supported by the Whitehall II study and deemed scientifically impactful to the international medical community,” commented Trevor Moody, CEO of The Brain Protection Company and Partner at MH Carnegie & Co., an investor in the company. “We are optimistic that lowering pulse intensity in the cerebral circulation can delay the onset of cognitive decline and dementia and being able to predict the risk, a decade before symptoms appear, could be a life-changing benefit to those at risk. We look forward to bringing our technology into first-in-human trials later this year.”
About the Pulse Intensity Theory of Dementia
In healthy young adults, the elasticity of blood vessels minimizes the intensity of the blood pressure pulse, so a smooth and gentle pulse arrives at the brain. With increasing age, large blood vessels stiffen, and pulse intensity can increase substantially. High intensity pulse pressure, combined with age-related fragility of blood vessels, can cause micro-bleeding in the brain. Micro-bleeding causes leakage of blood proteins into the brain and can provoke oxidation and inflammation, which cascades to a loss of neurons and synapses, manifesting as cognitive decline and dementia. The Whitehall II study, presented at the American Heart Association 2018 Scientific Sessions and now published as a “fast track” manuscript in the European Heart Journal, confirms that high pulse intensity to the brain is a significant and independent predictor of future cognitive decline in otherwise healthy middle-aged adults.
About The Brain Protection Company Pty Ltd
The Brain Protection Company is a pre-clinical stage company developing a novel approach to treating age-related dementia/Alzheimer’s disease by lowering the pulse pressure to the brain with an implantable pulse absorbing device. For more information, visit www.brainprotection.com.
SOURCE: About The Brain Protection Company Pty Ltd
