Leuven biotech company tests improved Alzheimer’s drug
Leuven biotech company Remynd is testing an improved drug that could offer hope to Alzheimer’s patients at both early and advanced stages of the disease. The company announced the development in a press release on Wednesday, with initial results expected by early July.
The new drug builds on REM0046127, a compound Remynd studied last year. In that earlier trial, participants who received the treatment performed significantly better on memory tests, showed improved brain activity on scans and had higher dopamine levels.
The drug also led to a notable reduction in tau proteins - key indicators of Alzheimer’s - compared to patients who received a placebo. However, the trial had to be halted after some participants experienced liver-related side effects.
"It could be suitable as part of a combination therapy in the early stages, but it could also be used to help patients in more advanced stages"
Remynd has now developed a new molecule that works similarly but is designed to avoid these adverse effects. In addition to targeting tau proteins, the improved compound also affects septin proteins, which help regulate calcium balance in brain cells, a process known to be disrupted in Alzheimer’s patients.
"As with cancer, Alzheimer's disease will probably be treated with a combination of different drugs in the future," says Remynd CEO Floor Stam.
"The mechanism of action of our candidate drug is complementary to that of Leqembi [the drug that was given the green light by the European Commission in mid-April] and other drugs that are in an advanced stage of development. As a result, it could be suitable both as part of a combination therapy in the early stages of the disease, but it could also be used to help patients in more advanced stages. The latter are really still empty-handed."
The new drug will first be tested in healthy volunteers over the next month to assess its safety and how it is absorbed in the body. If those results are promising, Remynd plans to begin testing the drug in Alzheimer’s patients in the next phase.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Related news
