Empowered Patient Podcast Developing Diagnostics and Treatments for Genetic ALS with Daniel Barvin Coya Therapeutics
Daniel Barvin, VP of Operations and Patient Advocacy at Coya Therapeutics discusses the challenges of treating ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and the company's approach to developing therapies for this heterogeneous disease. Focusing on a combination modality, Coya is developing therapies effective for sporadic and genetic ALS, targeting regulatory T cells and reducing inflammation to slow disease progression. Daniel, who carries a genetic variant for ALS and FTD (Frontotemporal Dementia), emphasizes the need for resources and support for the next generation of pre-symptomatic genetic ALS patients.
Daniel explains, "Coya is based upon the discovery of Dr. Stanley Appel of Houston Methodist, that all neurodegenerative diseases, we believe, also autoimmune and a few metabolic diseases, drive an inflammatory response. The death of a motor neuron or damage to a motor neuron is an alert to the body that it should send inflammation to fix that motor neuron or beta-amyloid plaque buildup. Unfortunately, inflammation cannot fix these issues and, therefore, decides to take out a damaged part of the body. The death of the motor neuron then spurs more inflammation, and the inflammation that rises in the body eventually damages what are called regulatory T cells, the most immunomodulating cells in the body. Once regulatory T cells are damaged, inflammation becomes a persistent condition and drives further degeneration and eventually death."
"Coya is founded upon the idea that we can affect the number and efficacy of regulatory T cells. This was our first pathway to affecting change in ALS. We have now gone to a combination therapy, which will be a biologic made up of two FDA-approved drugs in our own formulation. We believe this combination can increase the efficacy and number of regulatory T cells and reduce inflammation. We believe this combination effect in such a heterogeneous disease will have more efficacy than just a single modality."
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