Transparency life sciences, llc launched as world’s first open source drug development company

Contacts:
Transparency Life Sciences
TRANSPARENCY LIFE SCIENCES OBTAINS EXCLUSIVE OPTION FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY
FOR USE OF LISINOPRIL IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
—SAB Chair Steinman Presents Preclinical Data on Potential of ACE Inhibitor Lisinopril to
Treat MS at Gordon Conference—
—Lisinopril MS Protocol Is First to Use Crowdsourced Web Platform Allowing Patients,
Physicians, Researchers and Others to Participate in Clinical Trial Design—
New York, NY - March 5, 2012 - Transparency Life Sciences, LLC (TLS) the world’s first drug
development company based on open innovation and crowdsourcing, today announced that it has
concluded an agreement with Stanford University giving the company an exclusive option to license
intellectual property covering the use of lisinopril as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Separately,
TLS announced that MS expert Dr. Lawrence Steinman, the George A. Zimmermann Professor of
Neurology and Neurological Sciences & Pediatrics at the Stanford School of Medicine and Chair of the
TLS Scientific Advisory Board, presented preclinical data on the potential of lisinopril in MS at a recent
Gordon Conference.
“This is an exciting development for those of us who have been exploring the potential of lisinopril as a
treatment for MS,” noted Professor Steinman. “We have assembled a substantial body of preclinical data
that confirms the role of the angiotensin system in the pathology of MS, along with evidence that the
widely used ACE inhibitor lisinopril can modulate those effects in target-specific ways. We are delighted
that drug development game-changer Transparency Life Sciences has chosen lisinopril as its first
development candidate, enabling us to test whether these provocative preclinical findings can translate
into a safe and affordable new therapeutic option for MS patients.”
Interested individuals are invited to contribute to the design of the protocol for the Phase II trial of lisinopril
in multiple sclerosis. The protocol template is currently available on a prototype of the company’s
that allows patients, physicians, researchers and others to participate in the
design of clinical studies for compounds that TLS has in-licensed for development.
Tomasz Sablinski, M.D., Ph.D., founding CEO of TLS, noted, “Lisinopril is an inexpensive and effective
drug that has been used safely by millions of people around the world to control their high blood pressure.
A growing body of evidence suggests that it could also play an important role in helping to control the
complex immunological and inflammatory processes associated with MS. Lisinopril is an ideal candidate
for our strategy of radically redesigning the clinical trial process to assess the potential of drugs that might
otherwise never be tested. We invite anyone with an interest in helping to advance MS therapy to visit
our website and contribute to the design process.”
The work of Dr. Steinman and others has demonstrated that both angiotensin receptors and an
angiotensin-producing enzyme are abundant at sites of disease and inflammation in brains affected by
multiple sclerosis. In animal models of MS, studies have shown that blockade of these receptors with the
angiotensin inhibitor lisinopril reduces the areas affected by pathology and provides significant clinical
benefits, including reduction in paralysis and improved mobility. In these studies, lisinopril reduced
molecular measures of inflammation that accompany MS, yet it did not inhibit overall immune function. In
addition, lisinopril triggered proliferation of regulatory T cells, which are known to help moderate or
prevent autoimmune disease.
Transparency’s game-changing approach is based on three principles. First, crowdsourcing is being employed to design clinical protocols with the participation of patients, medical experts, front-line physicians and others, which is expected to result in protocols focused on those parameters most
relevant to actual clinical practice. Second, Transparency is leveraging telemedicine and related
technologies to reduce burdens on clinical trial subjects, enhance data quality and reduce costs. Third,
TLS is committed to demonstrating how data transparency can accelerate and improve the drug
development process.
Professor Steinman’s talk, “New Targets for Old Arrows: Potential for Angiotensin Blockade in Multiple
Sclerosis”, was presented at the Gordon Conference Angiotensin: Emerging and Evolving Paradigms In
the Renin-Angiotensin System in Ventana, CA on March 1, 2012.
About Multiple Sclerosis
MS is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mounts recurring assaults on
the myelin sheathing of nerve cells in the brain. This causes nerves to malfunction and can lead to
paralysis, blindness and early death. Approximately 350,000 people in the US have MS and it affects an
estimated three million people worldwide. There are a variety of new therapies available to treat MS, but
they are expensive and can carry a risk of serious side effects.
About Transparency Life Sciences
Transparency Life Sciences (TLS) is the world’s first drug development company based on open
innovation. TLS acquires promising drug compounds for significant unmet medical needs and tests them
in clinical trials that leverage crowdsourcing methods, advances in telemedicine and data transparency.
The company expects to realize significantly reduced costs and clinical timelines. To learn more about
TLS, visit the company’s prototype crowdsourced web platform at

Source: http://transparencyls.com/files/PDF/Lisinopril_Option_Presentation_Final.pdf