EnClear Therapies Raises $10 Million to Develop a Means to Filter Molecular Waste from Cerebrospinal Fluid
Leucadia Therapeutics and EnClear Therapies are both testing the hypothesis that clearance of molecular waste from cerebrospinal fluid is a viable form of prevention and treatment for many neurodegenerative conditions, though they couldn't be more different in their areas of focus and specific implementations. Most of the common neurodegenerative conditions are characterized by rising levels of various forms of harmful molecular waste in the brain, misfolded proteins, and the like. Cerebrospinal fluid circulates in the brain and drains into the body through a variety of pathways, carrying away this waste. Unfortunately, these channels of drainage atrophy or ossify with age, and this loss contributes to the pathological levels of harmful metabolic byproducts that are present in the aging brain. Leucadia seeks to restore drainage through the cribriform plate pathway, while EnClear seeks to filter out the molecular waste present in cerebrospinal fluid though an approach similar to blood filtration, except carried out via a spinal tap.
EnClear Therapies, a life sciences company developing device-based therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, today announced a $10 million Series A financing. "We are thrilled to have a strong syndicate committed to our team and platform technology, enabling EnClear to move our therapeutic system to our first-in-human clinical trial in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, as well as expand our platform into new applications and strategic partnerships. Our differentiated technology has the potential to transform not only the treatment of this devastating disease, but also many other conditions related to the central nervous system."
"The founders of EnClear are focused on producing a technology that could revolutionize the field by allowing fast diagnosis, delivery of any drug directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, and the development of new CNS-focused therapeutics. I am excited to help EnClear grow their business to help the millions of patients living with CNS diseases. We believe that EnClear's technology has the potential to fundamentally change the way neurodegenerative diseases are treated and ultimately improve patients' lives."
I hope they also develop some sort of reusable port into the spinal fluid channel that avoids the pain and risk of putting the tube in (something looking like out of "The Matrix"). I never had it done, but my wife had an epidural for two of her three labor and deliveries, and it was scary for me and painful for her.
@Tom Schaefer: I don't think it can be reusable because of risk of infection.
I envision a silver coated valve that can be covered with a bandage with bit of silver antimicrobial ointment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_uses_of_silver
Until these treatments are available, it is possible that breathing exercises may beneficially increase cerebrospinal fluid flow --
"Breathing Can Affect the Cleansing of the Brain"
https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2019/09/27/breathing_can_affect_the_cleansing_of_the_brain_111119.html
"Respiration: A New Mechanism for CSF Circulation?"
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/37/30/7076
"Breathing drives CSF: Impact on spaceflight disease and hydrocephalus"
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/41/20263
It seems reasonable to conjecture that increased respiration may underlie how exercise reduces incidence of dementia.
I had epidural two times (1 and 2 years ago) and it wasn't so painful. A little more painful than a normal injection, but that's all. The main difference was that that zone was itchy for several weeks afterwards.
The major problems with this proposal, probably, are the risk of infections and the cumbersomeness of having some kind of device in your back all the time.
@Reason, which of these two approaches do you think is better - Leucadia or EnClear?
@Morpheus
Leucadia seems more interesting and much less invasive. On the other hand en clear can be more universal by brute forcing more and different cleanup. But let's not forget that biology is messy and works in mysterious (path) ways.
Perhaps EnClear and Injeq should talk: https://injeq.com/
@Ten: It would take days to filter a significant amount of spinal fluid through such a thin needle.