A Swedish company specializing in the development of treatments for Alzheimer's announces that it has recruited the first patient in its phase 1b clinical study aimed at testing a first vaccine against the disease.
Alzinova AB, a Swedish biopharmaceutical company, will soon offer a first phase 1b clinical trial for a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease, called ALZ-101. The researchers have just recruited their first patient. In total, twenty-six patients will be included in the study . Participants will receive four doses of ALZ-101 or a placebo. The study examines two different dosages of ALZ-101 for about 20 weeks. The first data is expected in the second half of 2023.
The vaccine contains antibodies that the researchers believe will directly target neurotoxic amyloid-β oligomers. The joint presence of β-amyloid aggregates and tau proteins are indeed the characteristic signs of Alzheimer's disease. Together, these two conditions progressively promote neuronal degeneration in patients. The stated goal of this vaccine will be to prevent these proteins from accumulating in the brain .
“It is very important that ALZ-101 has now entered clinical trials in an area where there is such huge unmet medical need. We look forward to further development of this therapy with the long-term goal of treating and preventing the onset and progression of this devastating disease “, said Kristina Torfgård, CEO of Alzinova AB.
Recall that phase 1 trials like this one are conducted initially to assess the safety and dosage of the experimental drug or vaccine. This particular trial will also seek to evaluate the immune response induced by the vaccine , as well as a number of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease.
The clinical trial will be conducted in Finland by Alzinova's partner, Clinical Research Services Turku (CRST). The biomarker analysis will be carried out in a research collaboration with the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.
Recall that last January, the American laboratory Eli Lilly announced that it had completed phase II of a clinical trial for a promising new drug:Donanemab. Two years ago, another clinical trial also relieved the cognitive deficit induced by Alzheimer's disease by propagating electromagnetic waves through the skull of several patients.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around fifty million people worldwide are now affected by the disease. There are also about ten million new cases every year .
