May 19, 2014

KineMed and CHDI Foundation Extend Huntington’s Disease Collaboration

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 19, 2014 — KineMed, Inc. ( www.kinemed.com ) and CHDI Foundation, Inc. ( www.chdifoundation.org ) announced today an extension of their collaboration that uses KineMed’s translational biomarker platform to characterize and track the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease (HD) and evaluate potentially therapeutic interventions.

“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with CHDI in an area that leverages our capabilities to understand the biology of neurodegenerative diseases and monitor potential therapeutically beneficial interventions,” said Dr. Patrizia Fanara, Vice President Neuroscience KineMed.

The initial study identified deficits in microtubule dynamics and altered protein kinetics in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of several HD models. Ongoing work will look to rescue these changes by lowering expression of huntingtin – the protein that causes HD – through an interventional therapeutic approach. The aim is to identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers that can be used in clinical trials; the continuation of the collaboration will allow the characterization of additional CSF protein markers, increasing the chance of success.

“Extending our collaboration will further build on the advances we’ve made through KineMed’s expertise and technology,” said Jonathan Bard, PhD, Director, Molecular Pharmacology at CHDI. “By broadening the scope of our exploration we aim to identify biomarkers that can determine target engagement and translate from preclinical models to the clinic.”

There are currently no therapeutics approved that can slow the progression of HD, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that affects about 30,000 people in the United States, with up to 150,000 additionally at risk of developing the disease. The clinical signs of disease are behavioral, cognitive, and motor impairments that, over the course of the disease, significantly reduce the individual’s quality of life and ultimately cause death within 15 to 25 years of overt motor symptom onset.

About CHDI Foundation, Inc.

CHDI Foundation, Inc. is a privately-funded, not-for-profit, biomedical research organization that is exclusively dedicated to rapidly discovering and developing therapies that slow the progression of Huntington’s disease (HD). Our scientists work closely with a network of more than 600 researchers in academic and industrial laboratories around the world in the pursuit of these novel therapies, providing strategic scientific direction to ensure that our common goals remain in focus. This helps bridge the translational gap that often exists between academic and industrial research pursuits and that adds costly delays to therapy development. In its role as a collaborative enabler, CHDI seeks to bring the right partners together to identify and address critical scientific issues and move drug candidates to clinical evaluation as rapidly as possible. Our activities extend from exploratory biology to the identification and validation of therapeutic targets, and from drug discovery and development to clinical studies and trials. More information about CHDI can be found at www.chdifoundation.org .

About KineMed, Inc.

KineMed is a growing health technology company that has developed a proprietary biomarker platform technology with broad applications in drug development and medical diagnostics.

Using its patented technology, KineMed has developed analytic biomarker tests which measure, in a single sample, the rate of change of critical biological pathways. KineMed believes that its unique ability to measure the production and destruction of the key molecules involved in disease-modifying biological processes provides meaningful, and previously unavailable, information about both diseases and wellness, which can transform healthcare decisions. KineMed is expanding from its legacy of collaborative pharmaceutical relationships to also establish its own pipeline of therapeutic candidates and diagnostic tests.

For more information about KineMed, please visit: www.kinemed.com

KineMed, Inc.
Timothy L. Enns, 510-655-6525 ext. 136
Chief Investor and Media Relations Officer