SEATTLE, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Sound Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is honored to have Bruce A. Beutler, a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries involving the activation of innate immunity, join the company as a scientific advisor. Dr. Beutler is currently the Director of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition, he has identified and characterized COMT2, a genetic mutation that leads to human deafness. "He is an expert in the molecular pathways and biology that are at the heart of our science, and is a tremendous addition to our Scientific Advisory Board," said Jonathan Kil, MD, Chief Medical Officer.

SPI has developed an orally delivered small molecule (SPI-1005) that is currently in mid-stage or Ph-II clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of noise induced hearing loss and chemotherapy induced ototoxicity and tinnitus. SPI found that the enzyme glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) is diminished in several critical cells and tissues in the cochlea of mammals immediately following noise exposure. SPI-1005 treatment increases the expression of GPx1 and is thought to allow these affected cells and tissues to repair themselves, thus restoring auditory function and preventing the irreversible loss of auditory hair cells and supporting cells.

SPI is also developing a locally delivered drug for regenerating cells within the inner ear of mammals as a means to restore auditory function to the severely hearing impaired or deaf. By inhibiting p27Kip1, a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor or CKI, supporting cell and auditory hair cell regeneration is stimulated in adult mice and Guinea pigs that were previously exposed to intense noise or ototoxic drugs. This novel proliferative and regenerative ability is absent in adult mammals, resulting in permanent and often progressive sensorineural hearing loss. This novel CKI technology could be applied to other neurodegenerative diseases.

Sound Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company with a focus on developing the first drugs for hearing loss and brain injury. For more information please contact Eric Lynch, PhD, President, 206-634-2559 or visit http://www.soundpharma.com.

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Nobel Prize Winner Bruce Beutler joins Sound Pharmaceuticals