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Technology

The technology at Septa Therapeutics focuses on the long term effects of chronic infection on both the immune system and the nervous system.

Patents:

While at Insight Biotek Inc., Diane obtained three issued patents which describe the route of infection that microbes use to cross the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) to gain access to the brain.:

  • Van Alstyne, D., Sharma, LR. Dec. 6, 2011. Methods to clear meningitis-causing agents using antibodies to peptides representing epitopic sites for bacterial and viral meningitis-causing agents. US Patent No. 8,071,102.

  • Van Alstyne, D., Sharma, LR. Sept. 17, 1996. Peptides representing epitopic sites for bacterial and viral meningitis-causing organisms and their CNS carrier and uses thereof. US Patent No. 5,556,757.

  • Van Alstyne, D., Sharma, LR. Apr. 23, 1996. Antibodies which bind meningitis-related homologous antigenic sequences. US Patent No. 5, 510,264.

These data were then applied to understanding the role of chronic infection in the brain and how it may lead to AD, summarized in the following model:

Briefly, any membrane damage caused by infection causes the brain to import Abeta which contains chemokine activity used to transform glial progenitor cells into microglia. Once activated, these killer microglia attack infected cells. The same chemokine activity is also expressed by the microbes themselves. Over time, a massive excess of microglia leads to the death of neurons and the onset of AD.

Relevant Publications:
  • Van Alstyne, D. Sept 23. 2018. An Amyloid beta-derived Septapeptide has hMCP-1 Activity, doi:10.1101/424838.

  • Van Alstyne, D. 2018. An amyloid beta-derived peptide transforms rat glial progenitor cells into microglia. Alzheimer's and Dementia 14(7):p1529. doi.1016/j.jalz2018.07.049.

  • Lashley, P.M., S.N. Workman, D. Van Alstyne and P.N. Levett. 2000. Evaluation of a rapid screening assay for the direct detection of H.influenzae type b antigen in cerebrospinal fluid in pediatric meningitis. W.I. Med. J. 49, Suppl. 2,O-19.

  • Van Alstyne, D., M. DeCamillis, P. Sunga and R.F. Marsh. 1987. Rubella irus associated withe cytoskeleton (rubella VACS) particles - Relevant to scrapie? Positive RNA Strand Viruses. UCLA Symposium on Molecular and Celular Biology, New Series, Vol. 54:519-536. Editors, M.A. Brinton and R. Rueckert. Alan R. Liss, Inc., New York, N.Y.

  • Van Alstyne, D, EM Smyrnis, DW Paty. 1983. Differentiation of glioblasts from adult rat brain. Neurosci. Lett. 40:327-332

  • Van Alstyne, D, DW Paty. 1983. The effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP on restricted replication of rubella virus in rat glial cells in culture. Virology 124:173-180.

  • Pope, D.D. and D. Van Alstyne. 1981. Evidence for restricted replication of rubella virus in rat glial cells in culture. Virology 113(2):776-780

  • Bohn, E.M. and D. Van Alstyne. 1981. The generation of defective interfering rubella virus particles. Virology 111(2):549-554

  • Van Alstyne, D., G. Krystal, G.D. Kettlyls, and E.M. Bohn. 1981. Purification of rubella virus (RV) and determination of its polypeptide composition. Virology 108 (2):491-498.

  • Bohn, E.M. and D. Van Alstyne. 1980. The purification of rubella virus. Paper presented at the ICN-UCLA Symposium on Animal Virus Genetics, Keystone, Colorado. J. Supramol. Struc. 4:660.

  • Singh, V.K. and D. Van Alstyne. 1978. Glial Cells from normal adult rat brain established in continuous culture. Brain Res. 155:418-421.