University of California

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

David D Eveleth, Jr

Gary S Lynch

Peter A Seubert

Raymond T Bartus

James C Power

The present invention provides a method of treating a neurodegenerative pathology in a human patient. This method includes selecting a patient for monitoring for the presence of a neurodegenerative pathology associated with enhanced Calpain activity and monitoring the patient for indicia of the onset or existence of such a pathology. In response to the detection of any such indicium of the presence or onset of the pathology, a therapeutically efficacious amount of a Peptide Ketoamide compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or derivative thereof, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is administered. The invention also provides additional methods of treatment and pharmaceutical compositions using Peptide Ketoamides, Peptide Ketoacids and Peptide Ketoesters.

Method of treatment of neurodegeneration with calpain inhibitors

The invention provides a method for the detection of cellular pathology by means of an immunoassay to determine the presence of stable breakdown products, termed BDP's or BDP1 and BDP2, of the cytoskeleton component spectrin. In one aspect of the invention, the components from a sample of spectrin-containing cells are physically separated, as by exposure to an electric field, in such a way that BDP and spectrin are separated. Antibodies reactive with BDP are then contacted with the separated sample, and their binding to that portion of the sample containing any BDP determined. In another aspect of the invention, an assay, such as an ELISA assay, is performed to detect total spectrin immunoreactivity as an indication of cellular death or degradation.

Methods for detecting cellular pathology by assaying spectrin and

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

David D Eveleth, Jr