19 July 2018 - - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based biopharmaceutical company Longevity Biotech, Inc. (LBT) is launching a new clinical study to identify specific immune and inflammatory markers that could potentially be used to both diagnose Parkinson's disease and stratify patients by stage of disease, the company said. 
The clinical study will be initially launched at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center (CMCVAMC) Parkinson's Disease Research Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC) and supported by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. 
Preliminary ex-vivo therapeutic evaluations of drug candidate LBT-3627 will also be conducted during the course of this study.
Inflammation is an important strategic area for The Michael J. Fox Foundation as the organization continues to work toward identifying new disease-modifying paradigms. Recent clinical work has provided early clinical evidence highlighting the role played by the immune system in neurodegeneration. 
This two-year study aims to expand on previous work and correlate standard clinical scores from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) with both new and existing blood-based markers, such as alpha-synuclein.
This study complements ongoing neurodegenerative therapeutic development efforts by Longevity Biotech to rebalance the immune system by targeting the VPAC2 receptor with LBT-3627, a drug candidate based on the Hybridtide (synthetic peptide) platform technology.
LBT is a pursuing numerous innovative programs based on the patented Hybridtide platform technology. Its candidates display unique attributes that are expected to provide either first-in-class or best-in-class product profiles in their respective indication. 
The Hybridtide technology can be applied to most peptides and is available for partnership and/or co-development efforts as appropriate.