Ironically, the first person to be diagnosed with what is now Alzheimer’s disease was missing its major risk factor. When she first began showing symptoms of dementia in 1901, Auguste Deter was not particularly old. Despite Deter’s case, aging is the largest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s, by a large margin. But “geroscience has not been translated into drugs for Alzheimer’s disease,” Howard Fillit, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation co-founder and chief scientific officer, told BioWorld. “We’re just starting to see that cross-fertilization now.”

Discovery of novel Nav1.8 inhibitors capable of achieving high levels of target modulation at low oral doses for the potential treatment of pain was reported by Merck & Co. Inc.

After decades of trying and dozens of failed trials, amyloid targeting has paid off with the first disease-modifying agents reaching the market. But success does not mean slam dunk. Aduhelm (aducanumab, Biogen Inc.) was dogged by controversy throughout its brief tenure, and Biogen pulled the plug on it in early 2024. Leqembi (lecanemab, Biogen Inc.) has received full approval. In this second installment of a three-part series on Alzheimer’s, BioWorld looks at the nuanced view of amyloid’s role in the disease.

Addex Therapeutics has offloaded its portfolio of preclinical allosteric modulation drugs into Neurosterix, a new company that arrives on the scene with a $63 million series A round.

Mira Pharmaceuticals Inc. has offered an update on the ongoing preclinical studies of Ketamir-2.

Ironically, the first person to be diagnosed with what is now Alzheimer’s disease was missing its major risk factor. When she first began showing symptoms of dementia in 1901, Auguste Deter was not particularly old. Despite Deter’s case, aging is the largest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s, by a large margin. But “geroscience has not been translated into drugs for Alzheimer’s disease,” Howard Fillit, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation co-founder and chief scientific officer, told BioWorld. “We’re just starting to see that cross-fertilization now.” This first article of a three-part BioWorld series on Alzheimer’s disease looks at how a group of researchers, as well as some startups, are trying to approach Alzheimer’s via an aging lens.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is recognized worldwide for its debilitating symptoms of declining cognitive function and gradual memory loss. What remains less clear is exactly what causes the neurodegenerative disease, and how to treat it. “Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by two key pathologies – beta-amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles.” Seung-Yong Yoon, CEO of Adel Inc., told BioWorld. “Adel is looking to develop a tau-targeting drug, considering tau has been more correlated with AD symptom progression, and the industry’s need for tau pipelines.”