BioGraphene Signs Collaborative Research Agreement with Dong-A University for the Efficacy Study of Graphene Quantum Dots in ALS

BioGraphene Inc. announced that the company and Dong-A University entered into a Collaborative Research Agreement for the efficacy study of Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Dr. Young Bin Hong, a professor at the Department of Biochemistry at Dong-A University College of Medicine will lead the research and validate GQD’s efficacy in ALS using three different mouse models.

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative neurological disease that primarily affects the neurons in the brain and spinal cord responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. ALS leads to progressive muscle weakness, atrophy and typically death 2 to 5 years after symptom onset. Neurodegeneration in ALS is associated with protein misfolding and aggregation and the formation of inclusions in regions of the central nervous system affected by the disease. Among them, 97% of patients shows abnormal accumulation of TDP-43 protein.

BioGraphene’s biocompatible GQDs already showed the efficacy in several mouse disease models such as Parkinson’s disease, Niemann-Pick Disease Type C, etc. Based on mode of action of GQDs discovered so far, ALS may be the potential target for GQDs.