WINNIPEG, Canada I June 14, 2012 I DiaMedica Inc. (DMA.V) is pleased to report the findings of a pre-clinical study presented this past weekend at the American Diabetes Association Conference (ADA) in a Late Breaking Poster Presentation entitled "A Novel Agonist Antibody to the Bradykinin 2 Receptor for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes".

The poster presentation outlined the performance of DM-204 chronically administered in a pre-clinical in vivo model of Type 2 diabetes. Treatment with DM-204 resulted in superior glucose control (e.g. decreased HbA1c and lower fasting blood glucose levels) over the length of the three-week study compared to approved anti-diabetic drugs included as controls. In addition, DM-204 treated animals demonstrated statistically significant positive effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart rate when compared to control.

DM-204 is an agonist antibody to the bradykinin 2 receptor, a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR). GPCR agonist antibodies are highly sought after targets for drug development, as they are generally believed to be superior to short acting molecules. "Despite the interest in GPCR receptor agonists there has been very little development success to date, and none that we are aware of for the treatment of diabetes," stated Mark Williams, Vice President of Research at DiaMedica.

"The data presented from the DM-204 study generated a great deal of interest from both the medical community and pharmaceutical companies attending the conference," stated Rick Pauls, Chairman and CEO of DiaMedica. "We look forward to the future results of our ongoing development plan, with the hope of providing a novel new approach to the treatment of diabetes".

About DiaMedica

DiaMedica is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovery and development of novel therapeutic compounds for diabetes and other major, medically-unmet diseases. DiaMedica’s lead compound, DM-199, is a recombinant human protein that represents a novel approach to treating Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In a Type 1 diabetes model, DM-199 halted the autoimmune attack on beta cells by stimulating regulatory T-cells, and resulted in a 12-fold increase in C-peptide levels. In Type 2 diabetes models, DM-199 treatment stimulated proliferation of insulin producing beta cells, resulting in significant improvement in glucose control.

DiaMedica is also developing a novel monoclonal antibody, DM-204 as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Chronic treatment with DM-204 in a Type 2 diabetes model resulted in significant improvement in blood glucose control and HbA1c levels and also significant decreases in blood pressure and serum cholesterol.

Diamedica’s DM-199 and DM-204 were both named Windhover’s "2011 Top 10 Cardiovascular/ Metabolic Projects to Watch".

SOURCE: DiaMedica