Therapies: Elan’s commitment to advancing science and changing lives
At Elan, we unite scientific innovation with human purpose to lead the development of therapies for serious diseases that have long been considered intractable, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Crohn’s disease. One of the keys to our scientific approach is our focus on understanding the underlying causes of disease. By closely following the molecular pathways that lead to disease, we are able to identify key mechanisms that become the focus of drug discovery and development. Rigorous and original scientific research is helping us set a new therapeutic course for diseases and for people’s lives.
Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy
Elan scientists have been leaders in Alzheimer’s disease research for more than two decades, and insights from our work are an important part of the foundation on which much of today’s Alzheimer’s research and development is based. Landmark basic research shows that a protein called beta amyloid accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and plays an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Elan is pursuing three distinct approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease that are all designed to modify the “beta amyloid cascade,” which is generally accepted by scientists as the primary underlying disease mechanism.
Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s Disease Therapy
Elan’s research approach to Parkinson’s disease is based in part on the recent discovery of a signaling molecule that may be involved in causing a protein called alpha-synuclein to aggregate into a toxic form called Lewy bodies. The aggregation of alpha-synuclein on neurons is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Elan scientists also are studying parkin, a protein that may be necessary for keeping neurons healthy, and are examining the relationship between parkin activity and neurodegeneration to identify additional targets for drug development.
Learn more about Parkinson’s disease
Multiple Sclerosis Therapy
Addressing what is currently a well-known pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis, Elan scientists have found that an interaction between alpha 4 integrin and VCAM-1 can enable immune system cells to cross the blood/brain barrier and attack neurons in brain tissue. Our therapeutic focus is designed to inhibit alpha 4 integrin protein and thereby reduce inflammation inside the central nervous system. Elan scientists are continuing to refine their research on the alpha 4 integrin mechanism of action with the goal of increasing the safety and effectiveness of the next generation of multiple sclerosis therapies.
Learn more about multiple sclerosis
Crohn’s Disease Therapy
To help patients with Crohn’s disease – an inflammatory disease that scientists believe is triggered by a person’s own immune system – Elan scientists have focused on therapy for adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease that selectively inhibits immune cells from leaving the bloodstream and prevents these cells from migrating into chronically inflamed tissue, such as the gastrointestinal tract, where the immune cells may cause or maintain inflammation.