Targeting Iron Dysregulation in the Neurodegenerative Condition MSA

Multiple system atrophy is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative condition that is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease but carries a far grimmer prognosis. MSA has a median survival of just seven to eight years after symptom onset. Toxic aggregates of alpha synuclein and excess brain iron create a vicious cycle of neuronal damage that drives the multisystem motor and autonomic decline characteristic of the disease. Alterity Therapeutics is developing an oral, brain penetrant therapy designed to redistribute excess iron, reduce alpha synuclein aggregation and oxidative injury, and ultimately slow disease progression. David Stamler, CEO of Alterity, discusses the biology of MSA, the company’s promising clinical results to date, and why this therapeutic approach may also have application in other neurodegenerative diseases.