AC Immune SA plans talks with regulators based on positive interim safety and efficacy results from the phase II Vacsyn trial of its wholly owned anti-alpha-synuclein (a-syn) active immunotherapy ACI-7104.056 in early Parkinson’s disease (PD). The firm said that for the first time, data support targeting a-syn pathology via such a strategy. Disease-related biomarker results that suggest PD slowing include a-syn cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels and neurofilament light (NfL).
In Parkinson’s disease, α-synuclein accumulates in neurons and may thereby contribute to their degeneration. Reducing expression of α-synuclein may be an effective therapy, but delivering short interfering RNA (siRNA) to the brain noninvasively is notoriously ineffective, in part because siRNA does not pass the blood-brain barrier efficiently.
Alterity Therapeutics Ltd. helped develop a new neuroimaging biomarker called the multiple system atrophy index (MSA-AI), which looks to be a more reliable biomarker for tracking disease progression of MSA.
Alterity Therapeutics Ltd. helped develop a new neuroimaging biomarker called the multiple system atrophy index (MSA-AI), which looks to be a more reliable biomarker for tracking disease progression of MSA. Developed using deep learning methods, the MSA-AI offers a superior, objective and quantifiable measure of brain atrophy in MSA patients.
Being able to detect and monitor the aggregation of α-synuclein in situ could lead to more objective, earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease as well as allow real-time monitoring of whether patients are responding to treatment.
Nitrated α-synuclein is upregulated in the CSF of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Lewy body dementia (DLB), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and other synucleinopathies.
Spark Therapeutics Inc. has presented a proprietary adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector expressing an artificial miRNA targeting human α-synuclein (α-Syn) mRNA. Accumulation of misfolded and insoluble α-Syn causes neuronal toxicity in preclinical models and has been identified as the underlying cause of synucleinopathies.
Nitrase Therapeutics Inc. has unveiled a protein named glyoxalase domain-containing protein 4 (GLOD4) responsible for catalyzing selective protein nitration. This reflects a new class of enzymatic activity discovered by the company that had not been previously characterized.
Alterity Therapeutics Ltd. reported positive top-line phase II results for lead candidate ATH-434 for treating multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease.
Alterity Therapeutics Ltd. reported positive top-line phase II results for lead candidate ATH-434 for treating multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease.