Researchers have discovered how the tau protein turns from a normal to a disease state in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and have shown how the discovery could potentially deliver a therapeutic target.
Tau protein aggregates are present in a group of disorders, collectively termed the tauopathies. Alzheimer's disease is the most common of those disorders, while frontotemporal dementia is most strongly linked to tau. Now, a map of the proteins that interact with tau and how those interactions differ between normal and disease-associated tau protein could give new clues on how the protein causes damage in neurodegenerative disorders, and on how to treat or prevent that damage.
Investigators have identified structural differences between amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregates in the postmortem brains of patients with inherited and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. Moreover, both were different from the aggregates that form when Abeta assembles in vitro.
Investors were thrilled when Roche Holding AG subsidiary Genentech Inc. and AC Immune SA reported top-line results from the Lauriet trial on Aug. 31, giving a positive jolt to AC Immune’s stock on the day of the announcement. At the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease 2021 meeting, the reaction of the medical community was more skeptical.
DUBLIN – AC Immune SA and partner Genentech reported Aug. 31 that their Tau-targeting antibody, semorinemab, brought about a dramatic 43.6% reduction in cognitive decline vs. baseline in a phase II trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The effect was statistically significant (p<0.0025) and is clinically meaningful. Indeed, it represents the biggest single treatment effect ever reported in a clinical trial in this population of Alzheimer’s patients and sets the stage for an extensive phase III program that could set the agenda for Alzheimer’s research for the foreseeable future.
Researchers report in the June 21, 2021, online issue of Neuron that overexpression of the LDL receptor can reduce ApoE to prevent tauopathy-associated neurodegeneration in mouse models.
Nearly five months after its tau-directed antibody, semorinemab, failed to demonstrate efficacy in a phase II trial in Alzheimer’s disease, AC Immune SA is back with positive data on a different approach with its anti-phospho-tau vaccine candidate, ACI-35.030.
DUBLIN – Shares in AC Immune SA were off more than 40% Sept. 23 on news that its tau-directed antibody, semorinemab, which is partnered with Genentech, failed to demonstrate efficacy in a phase II trial in Alzheimer’s disease.
Bold up-fronts and even bigger milestones defined ambitious neurology deals Abbvie Inc. struck with Voyager Therapeutics Inc. in 2018 and 2019. With vectorized antibodies, they planned to target multiple indications tied to excess aggregations of tau and tragic synucleinopathies. Considerable progress was made, said Omar Khwaja, Voyager's chief medical officer. But despite millions of dollars invested in the programs, Abbvie has now decided to quit the venture, leaving Voyager to either go it alone or find a new partner in its work on the challenging indications.
UCB SA, a Belgian company developing an antibody targeting a toxic protein tied to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), said Roche Holding AG has negotiated an exclusive global license to the potential therapy for $120 million up front, plus almost $2 billion in milestone payments following positive proof of concept for the anti-tau candidate, UCB-0107, in AD.
