Methods and compositions for the treatment of symptoms of prion diseases

Abstract

A therapeutic composition for the treatment of the symptoms of prion diseases and the method for preparing the therapeutic agents is disclosed. The therapeutic composition is a stable pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive and/or pancreatic enzymes. The therapeutic composition may be manufactured by a variety of encapsulation technologies. Delivery of the therapeutic composition may be made orally, through injection, by adherence of a medicated patch or other method. Further, a method of using fecal chymotrypsin level as a biomarker for the presence of a prion disease, or the likelihood of an individual to develop a prion disease is disclosed.

1 . A method for treating one or more symptoms associated with a prion disease in a patient diagnosed with a prion disease comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes. 
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more digestive enzymes comprise one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting of proteases, amylases, celluloses, sucrases, maltases, papaya, papain, and lipases. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more digestive enzymes comprise one or more pancreatic enzymes. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the proteases comprise chymotrypin and trypsin. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more digestive enzymes are, independently, derived from an animal source, a microbial source, or a plant source, or are synthetically prepared. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the animal source is a pig. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least one amylase, a mixture of proteases comprising chymotrypsin and trypsin, at least one lipase, and papain. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the pharmaceutical composition further comprises papaya. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises: amylases from about 10,000 to about 60,000 U.S.P, proteases from about 10,000 to about 70,000 U.S.P, lipases from about 4,000 to about 30,000 U.S.P, chymotrypsin from about 2 to about 5 mg, trypsin from about 60 to about 100 mg, papain from about 3,000 to about 10,000 USP units, and papaya from about 30 to about 60 mg. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least one protease and at least one lipase, and wherein the ratio of total proteases to total lipases (in USP units) ranges from about 1:1 to about 20:1. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the ratio of proteases to lipases ranges from about 4:1 to about 10:1. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more symptoms of the prion disease are selected from personality changes, psychiatric problems, lack of coordination, unsteady gait, myoclonus, unusual sensations, insomnia, confusion, memory problems, severe mental impairment, loss of the ability to move or speak, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pharmaceutical composition is a dosage formulation selected from the group consisting of: pills, tablets, capsules, microcapsules, mini-capsules, time released capsules, mini-tabs, sprinkles, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       14 . A method of diagnosing a patient comprising:
 obtaining a fecal sample from the patient;   determining a level of chymotrypsin present in the fecal sample; and   diagnosing the patient as having a prion disease if the determined fecal chymotrypsin level is 8.4 U/gram or less and the patient exhibits at least one symptom associated with.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the fecal chymotrypsin level is between 8.4 and 4.2 U/gram. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the fecal chymotrypsin level is less than 4.2 U/gram. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the level of chymotrypsin present in the fecal sample is determined using an enzymatic photospectrometry method. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes if the patient is diagnosed as having the prion disease. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising determining if the administration of the pharmaceutical composition reduces one or more symptoms associated with the prion disease. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising comparing the post-administration measurement of one or more prion disease symptoms to a pre-administration measurement of the one or more prion disease symptoms. 
   
   
       21 . A method of identifying a patient likely to benefit from administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes comprising:
 obtaining a fecal sample from the patient;   determining a level of chymotrypsin present in the fecal sample; and   identifying the patient as likely to benefit from administration of the pharmaceutical composition if the determined fecal chymotrypsin level is 8.4 U/gram or less and the patient is diagnosed with a prion disease.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising determining if the patient exhibits one or more symptoms of the prion disease. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the benefit comprises a reduction in one or more symptoms associated with the prion disease. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the level of chymotrypsin present in the fecal sample is determined using an enzymatic photospectrometry method. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes. 
   
   
       26 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes, wherein the one or more digestive enzymes comprise at least one lipase and at least one protease, and wherein the ratio of total proteases to total lipases (in USP units) ranges from about 1:1 to about 20:1. 
   
   
       27 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 26  wherein the ratio of total proteases to total lipases ranges from about 4:1 to about 10:1. 
   
   
       28 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one amylase, a mixture of proteases comprising chymotrypsin and trypsin, at least one lipase, and papain. 
   
   
       29 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 28  wherein the pharmaceutical composition further comprises papaya. 
   
   
       30 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 28  wherein the ratio of total proteases to total lipases ranges from about 1:1 to about 20:1. 
   
   
       31 . A pharmaceutical preparation for treating an individual exhibiting one or more symptoms of a prion disease comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a digestive enzyme. 
   
   
       32 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the digestive enzyme is selected from the group consisting of: amylase, lipase, protease, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       33 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the digestive enzyme is further selected from the group consisting of: chymotrypsin, trypsin, papaya, papain, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       34 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the enzyme is derived from a source selected from the group consisting of animal enzymes, plant enzymes, synthetic enzymes, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       35 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the preparation is manufactured using a technology selected from the group consisting of Prosolv® technology, enteric coating, lipid encapsulation, direct compression, dry granulation, wet granulation, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       36 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the preparation is administered orally via a dosage formulation selected from the group consisting of: pills, tablets, capsules, microcapsules, mini-capsules, time released capsules, mini-tabs, sprinkles, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       37 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 32  wherein the amount of amylase ranges from 10,000 to 60,000 USP units/mg. 
   
   
       38 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 32  wherein the amount of protease ranges from 10,000 to 70,000 USP units/mg. 
   
   
       39 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 32  wherein the amount of lipase ranges from 4,000 to 30,000 USP units/mg. 
   
   
       40 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 33  wherein the amount of pancreatin ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 USP units/mg. 
   
   
       41 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 33  wherein the amount of chymotrypsin ranges from 2 to 5 mg. 
   
   
       42 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 33  wherein the amount of papain ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 USP units/mg. 
   
   
       43 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 33  wherein the amount of papaya ranges from 30 to 60 mg. 
   
   
       44 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 33  wherein the amount of trypsin ranges from 60 to 100 mg. 
   
   
       45 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein a symptom of the prion disease is ameliorated. 
   
   
       46 . The pharmaceutical preparation of  claim 31  wherein the symptom of the prion disease is selected from the group consisting of: personality changes, psychiatric problems, lack of coordination, unsteady gait, myoclonus, unusual sensations, insomnia, confusion, memory problems, severe mental impairment, loss of the ability to move or speak, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       47 . A method of treating an individual having a prion disease with a therapeutically effective amount of digestive enzymes comprising the steps of:
 measuring a level of fecal chymotrypsin in a stool sample of the individual;   comparing the level of fecal chymotrypsin with a normal fecal chymotrypsin level; and   administering the digestive enzymes to the individual if the level of fecal chymotrypsin in the individual is less than the normal fecal chymotrypsin level.   
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 47  further comprising the steps of:
 administering the digestive enzymes to the individual in order to promote protein digestion; and   administering the digestive enzymes to the individual in order to ameliorate a symptom of the prion disease.   
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 47  wherein the stool sample is measured using a technique selected from the group consisting of: enzymatic photospectrometry, colorimetry, treatment with substrates, assays, and a combination thereof.