It has been previously demonstrated that TREM2 is extensively shed during chronic neuroinflammation, which hiders its function, while TREM2 activation enhances effector functions of microglia.
Transthera Sciences (Nanjing) Inc. has announced the initiation of IND-enabling studies for TT-02332, a potent, selective and highly CNS-penetrating NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor.
South Korea’s MFDS gave regulatory clearance to SK Inc. C&C’s artificial intelligence (AI) solution to diagnose cerebral infarction called Medical Insight+ Brain Infarct on Feb. 22, as a class III device.
Vectory Therapeutics BV has closed a €129 million ($138 million) series A financing to advance its vectorized antibody programs in neurodegenerative diseases.
Vuno Inc. gained a U.S. FDA’s 510(k) clearance for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered brain quantification device, Vuno Med-Deepbrain, to diagnose possible dementia in patients “even before mild cognitive impairment.”
An international team of researchers have developed a new blood test that could detect Parkinson’s disease earlier than current methods. The test, a real-time PCR-based assay, called Mito Dnadx, uses blood to identify damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) caused by the neurodegenerative condition. Based on the findings published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the test could allow rapid, noninvasive and accurate identification of Parkinson’s disease (PD) before it causes much damage to the nervous system.
Verge Genomics Inc. has entered a second big AI deal with a large drug company. Privately held Verge will receive up to $42 million, including up-front, equity and near-term payments from Alexion, Astrazeneca Rare Disease, to identify multiple targets for rare neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. The deal could top out at $840 million. There also is potential for downstream royalties.
With the spotlight at this week’s Alzheimer’s Association International conference firmly fixed on the first approved therapies, advances in diagnosing the neurodegenerative disease - on which effective use of new drugs will hang - attracted less attention. However, hand-in-hand with the development of anti-amyloid drugs, development of blood-based biomarkers has made significant progress and they now have the potential to form the basis of easy to access and low cost tests.
