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MicroCHIPS' has partnered with prominent clinicians to form a Scientific Advisory Board to support the company's innovative biosensing and drug delivery programs in diabetes, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases. As a leading physician and researcher in osteoporosis, Dr. Neer will provide guidance on MicroCHIPS' development of a long-term implant designed to provide 100% compliant delivery of parathyroid hormone for people who suffer from severe osteoporosis. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the only drug therapy available in the US that has an anabolic effect on bone, resulting in marked bone growth.
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A member of the Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and the founder and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Bone Density Center, Dr. Neer has focused his research and clinical work on understanding the bone-building effects of parathyroid hormone. Dr. Neer has been the principal investigator for many osteoporosis-related clinical studies, has authored over 100 articles, chapters and reviews, and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his MD from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Neer was a principal investigator for the Phase III trial of Forteo(R), Eli Lilly's injectable PTH therapy which is the only FDA-cleared anabolic agent available to osteoporosis patients.
"Dr. Neer has dedicated himself to understanding the therapeutic effects of parathyroid hormone and other osteoporosis drugs, and brings a unique clinical perspective to our PTH delivery program," said John Santini, President and CEO, MicroCHIPS. "The clinical evidence for the bone-building effects of PTH therapy is compelling, but too many patients find the treatment difficult to follow. MicroCHIPS' goal is to make PTH therapy available to a much larger group of patients who suffer from this devastating disease."
"The MicroCHIPS device is designed to help eliminate the compliance problems that limit the effectiveness of many therapies," said Dr. Neer. "The company's preclinical pharmacokinetic results confirm the promise of this novel, long-term PTH drug delivery device, and I look forward to advising the company as they move into the clinic."
In November, MicroCHIPS' was awarded the 2008 AAPS Drug Delivery Technology Award for its osteoporosis research. The award is given by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists to recognize outstanding research pertaining to novel drug delivery technologies. MicroCHIPS' device is being developed to conveniently deliver human parathyroid hormone (hPTH 1-34) to help build bone, prevent new fractures, and improve the quality of life for patients with osteoporosis. Affecting an estimated 75 million people in Europe, the US and Japan, osteoporosis can lead to debilitating fractures and significant morbidity, especially in elderly patients.
About MicroCHIPS
MicroCHIPS, Inc. is pioneering intelligent implanted devices designed to improve the health of millions of people with chronic conditions that require careful monitoring and precise therapy. Based on proprietary microreservoir technology first developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MicroCHIPS' platform incorporates long-term implant technologies and wireless communications, as well as expertise in protein and peptide formulation for challenging delivery conditions. MicroCHIPS' technologies are designed to transform electromechanical medical devices into highly tuned biochemical sensing and therapy systems. www.mchips.com.
SOURCE MicroCHIPS, Inc.
