OUR DISRUPTIVE MISSION

We have come together because we believe we can solve the mystery of MND and find a solution by looking into areas that current medical research is ignoring.

We believe that MND is not a gene specific issue, rather a network issue that relates to an underlying viral infection and subsequent auto-immune dysfunction.

We think an auto-immune component plays most of the role in this disease and it has been widely overlooked.

We are fully committed to the cause of the disease and determine in making a revolutionary breakthrough in the search for underlying genetic modalities in MND related to certain biological pathways

OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS

Led by the world respected Dr Nitin Saksena, who, with over 250 publications, was responsible for some of the most progressive developments in virus-associated neurodegenerative diseases and is regarded as one of the leading experts in genome biology and gene regulation.

He and his team of scientists are working to prove an innovative hypothesis, that:

  1. MND is not a gene specific issue, rather a network issue that relates to an underlying viral infection and subsequent auto-immune dysfunction
  2. The immune system plays a significant role in MND and NDs and these pathways in these diseases have been widely overlooked. They will look at the pathways and systems related to immune dysfunction which may provide clues to the role of infection in NDs.
  3. The miRNAs have the potential to reveal specific gene targets that can guide us to future treatments using antisense approaches for NDs and possible cure.

This line of enquiry will give us more precise, individual picture of what is going on, enable us to sequence each individual’s unique Genome and target the dysfunction gene/s via Micro RNA, or target the dysregulated miRNAs through antisense approach.

Still with us?… now let’s get into some heavier science and exactly what and how we are working to prove our hypothesis:

Dr Nitin Saksena

THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF THE GENOME

The story of our life is imprinted in the genome, then why we don’t look at the genome to unveil the secrets of neurodegenerative diseases. We are living in an era where we can now sequence the whole human genome (>3 billion base pairs) in quick time. The disease programming takes place in the genome, therefore, the genome carries vital information about a disease that we can’t see from the outside, and can guide us not only in understanding the disease, but also in defining future treatments, diagnostic and prognostic modalities.

We are currently studying Motor Neuron Disease and other NDs at the genomic and sub-genomic levels. Most studies have overlooked association between gene expression and its regulation, which we have taken on board as our integral approach for understanding how genes are regulated by miRNAs. With this knowledge, we plan to design inhibitors to normalise gene function, create novel therapeutic modalities based on micro-RNA targeting, and provide possible curative strategies. This novel approach can guide us in designing precision or tailored treatments that can be individualized to patient’s need. We see the biggest chances of success because of the holistic and in-depth nature of our approach.

Complete mapping of the whole genomes and their regulators will provide a clear genomic and sub-genomic understanding of the pathways that impinge on NDs, and guide us to actual targets that can be exploited in developing treatments. Furthermore, a detailed comparison against a myriad of databases will provide additional global perspective on correlations that are necessary in defining treatments, and have the potential to provide benefit to the community at large.

The uniqueness of our genome work lies in a unidirectional focus and multi-entity determination of MND and NDs in providing design and development of new generation of genome-based therapies, biomarkers for the treatment, diagnosis, and prognosis, in addition to providing a profound understanding of this disease.

Understanding the significance of MicroRNA:

Iggy Get Out is especially focused on MicroRNA and their importance in therapeutic development through the understanding of critical genes that are targeted by miRNAs.

Our artificial intelligence modelling team will uncover new and specific MicroRNA candidates that control expression of critical genes involved in MND and NDs, and which can be used in targeting specific miRNAs or gene pathways and modulate or block the gene expression that may be causing certain components of the disease. This is consistent with our multi-entity approach, which we believe is bound to yield dividends.

Further, this data will be strengthened through our access to several ALS and ND databases that will provide a global perspective on diagnostics, treatment and early diagnosis of all these diseases.

Development of a Specialist Precision Laboratory:

Our main goal is to get a special laboratory up and running as quickly as possible. This lab will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to address any and every issue we encounter in addressing vital questions. We aim to create new biomarkers to measure MND and its associated therapies as well as measure tailor made therapies. As this is for the people, by the people, to the people, our aim is that everyone will be able to benefit from the expertise and precision analysis the lab will provide.

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