JDRF Funds Sangamo BioSciences Diabetic Neuropathy Study

Diabetic neuropathy is a progressive degenerative disease that is one of the most frequent complications of diabetes, affecting between 14 and 16.5 million Americans in 2007. High blood glucose levels lead to nerve damage over time, primarily affecting peripheral nerves. Symptoms include numbness, tingling sensations and pain particularly in the toes or feet, which gradually evolve to loss of sensation and motor function as nerve damage progresses. Ulcers and sores may appear on numb areas of the foot as pressure wounds or injuries go unnoticed. Despite palliative treatment, these areas of trauma frequently become infected and this infection may spread to the bone, necessitating amputation of the leg or foot. More than 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes. In 2004, this translated to approximately 71,000 amputations. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that from 1980 through 2007, the number of Americans with diabetes increased from 5.6 million to 23.6 million and that of those about 60 percent to 70 percent have mild to severe forms of neuropathy.

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. of Richmond announced the initiation of a new Phase 2 clinical trial for treatment of diabetic neuropathy.  The data generated to date provide direct evidence of nerve regrowth with ZFN-based Therapeutic, SB-509 treatment.  After extensive review of the clinical data, JDRF has committed to fund $3.0 million of development costs for this new Phase 2 trial.

“Neuropathy is a significant complication of diabetes and represents a major unmet medical need, so developing better treatments would be a tremendous near-term benefit for people with diabetes,” stated Alan Lewis, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF.  “JDRF is excited to move this partnership forward, particularly as it involves a drug candidate designed to harness the body’s own regenerative potential to address the nerve loss characteristic of neuropathy.”