TIDMSUMM
Summit Corporation plc
('Summit' or 'the Company')
SUMMIT PRESENTS NEW DATA ON OGA INHIBITION AT ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
* Data provide evidence of mechanism of action for Seglin OGA inhibitors
Oxford, UK, 17 July 2012 - Summit (AIM: SUMM), a UK drug discovery company, will
today present positive preclinical data on its OGA (O-linked N-
acetylglucosaminidase) inhibitor programme for the treatment of tauopathies at
the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 ('AAIC 2012') being
held in Vancouver, Canada between 14-19 July 2012.
"One of the hallmarks of tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, is the
presence of neurofibrillary tangles caused by the aggregation of abnormal hyper-
phosphorylated forms of a protein called tau," said Richard Storer, DPhil, Chief
Scientific Officer of Summit. "The data being presented at AAIC demonstrate
that Summit's small molecule OGA inhibitors, developed using our Seglin(TM)
technology platform, reduce the amount of tau phosphorylation both in vitro and
in vivo and strongly support their further evaluation. OGA inhibition
represents a new and potentially disease-modifying paradigm for the treatment of
this group of serious neurodegenerative disorders."
In the presentation titled "Modulating tau phosphorylation through inhibition of
OGA: A new treatment paradigm for tauopathies", Summit reported data on its
potent and highly selective small molecule inhibitors of the enzyme OGA. In
vitro and in vivo studies showed that OGA inhibition reduced tau protein
phosphorylation. In addition, the OGA inhibitors were able to penetrate the
blood brain barrier in vivo. Based on these positive results, the programme
will advance to efficacy studies of these OGA inhibitors in in vivo disease
models.
The presentation is available on request from investors@summitplc.com and
shortly from the Company's website, www.summitplc.com.
About Tauopathies
The tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases which includes
Alzheimer's disease and a number of rare disorders such as Progressive
Supranuclear Palsy and Frontotemporal Dementia.
The tauopathies are characterised by the formation in the brain of
neurofibrillary tangles ('NFTs') which contribute to the death of nerve cells in
the brains of patients and arise due to the aggregation of abnormal hyper-
phosphorylated tau protein. OGA plays a role in the modulation of tau
phosphorylation and its inhibition has the potential to prevent tau aggregation
and thereby stop the NFTs from forming.
About AAIC( ®)
The Alzheimer's Association International Conference( ®) ('AAIC') is the world's
largest conference of its kind, bringing together researchers from around the
world to report and discuss ground-breaking research and information on the
cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related
disorders. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC
serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a
vital, collegial research community
About Summit
Summit is an Oxford, UK based drug discovery Company with a portfolio of drug
programme assets and a drug discovery platform called Seglins(TM) technology.
Summit's programme portfolio consists of a number of drug programmes targeting
high-value areas of unmet medical need including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, C.
difficile infection and a group of neurodegenerative diseases called
tauopathies. Summit is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and
trades under the ticker symbol SUMM. Further information is available at
www.summitplc.com.
- END -
For more information, please contact:
Summit
Glyn Edwards / Richard Pye Tel: +44 (0)1235 443 951
Singer Capital Markets
(Nominated Adviser and Joint broker)
Shaun Dobson / Claes Spång Tel: +44 (0)203 205 7500
Hybridan LLP
(Joint broker)
Claire Louise Noyce / Deepak Reddy Tel: +44 (0)207 947 4350
Peckwater PR
(Financial public relations, UK) Tel: +44 (0)7879 458 364
Tarquin Edwards tarquin.edwards@peckwaterpr.co.uk
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
(U.S. media contact) Tel: +1 781-235-3060
Michelle Avery
Forward Looking Statements
This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates", "intends", "plans",
"seeks", "believes", "estimates", "expects" and similar references to future
periods, or by the inclusion of forecasts or projections. Forward-looking
statements are based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions
regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because
forward-looking statements relate to the future, by their nature, they are
subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are
difficult to predict. The Company's actual results may differ materially from
those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. The Company cautions you
therefore that you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as
statements of historical fact or as guarantees or assurances of future
performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in the forward-looking statements and regional, national,
global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory
conditions.
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Summit Corporation PLC via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1627101]
| 
