Sheraton Inn,
John Nolen Drive,
Madison.
DATE: March 22, 2005 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Sheraton Inn Madison, John Nolen Drive
PHONE: 608-443-1965
E-MAIL: sallym@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
WEB: www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
Contact Name: Sally Muller, Program Director
Host: WI Innovation Network Madison
Registration Deadline: March 22, 2005
Jeff Johnson and Trevor Twose of Mithridion, Inc, a Wisconsin start-up company, will describe research into possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Johnson, who was introduced by Gov. Jim Doyle during his Jan. 12 “State of the State” speech, is an associate professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division at the UW-Madison and a founder of Mithridion. Dr Twose is a co-founder of Mithridion and its Chief Executive Officer. Dr Johnson and other UW researchers discovered that increased expression of a protein called transthyretin in the brain appears to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s, a finding that may cause a dramatic shift in the way scientists and researchers search for a therapy for the disease. With continued research, Mithridion foresees a time when family members with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease could take a yet-undeveloped drug to increase transthyretin protein and prevent the disease from developing. It could also theoretically halt or slow down the progression of the disease in patients in the early stages of the disease, preserving a higher level of cognitive function. Such a drug could have an enormous social and economic impact, helping an estimated 5 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s, including 110,000 Wisconsin residents.
