ProMIS Neurosciences Data for Alzheimer’s Disease Program Targeting Tau Accepted for Presentation at Tau2020
January 29, 2020 News
Dual targeting of neurotoxic tau and amyloid beta is a promising area of therapy development for Alzheimer’s; ProMIS to present data on novel antibodies for toxic tau
TORONTO, Ontario and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — January 29, 2020 — ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that data supporting its Alzheimer’s disease program targeting neurotoxic tau has been accepted for presentation at Tau2020 Global Conference, an international conference sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, Rainwater Foundation and CurePSP. ProMIS will present data showing the ability of its novel antibody candidates to bind and neutralize the seeding activity of toxic tau species, which—along with the protein amyloid-beta—are considered the most promising targets for potential Alzheimer’s disease (AD) therapy.
ProMIS Chief Development Officer Dr. Johanne Kaplan will present the poster, “Selective Targeting of Pathogenic Tau Aggregates with Rationally Designed Antibodies,” as well as a short Lightning Round oral presentation on the first day of the conference, Wednesday, February 12, from 1:45-2:45. The antibodies were generated using ProMIS’ proprietary drug discovery and development platform. The tau antibodies join ProMIS’ lead candidate for AD, PMN310, which targets the toxic oligomer of amyloid beta (AßO), giving ProMIS a pipeline that offers a critical “one-two punch” for potential Alzheimer’s disease therapies.
“Published data from the team led by Nobel Laureate Stanley B. Prusiner M.D., show that Alzheimer’s disease is driven by self-propagating prion-like aggregates of amyloid and tau,” said Dr. Johanne Kaplan, chief development officer of ProMIS Neurosciences. “We created ProMIS to discover and advance new antibody candidates that can selectively target the toxic forms of misfolded proteins, including amyloid and tau, for potential therapies for a range of neurodegenerative diseases. We’re pleased to share our findings for tau with the larger community and to have our data recognized by such an accomplished program committee.”
ProMIS Neurosciences’ drug discovery and development platform produces antibody candidates that meet a key success factor for an AD therapy: the ability to selectively target the toxic form of a misfolded protein, while sparing its normal, physiologically important form. This continues to challenge Alzheimer’s drug development, evidenced most recently by aducanumab’s limited selectivity for AßOs: in the phase 3 EMERGE trial, aducanumab’s off-target binding to plaque caused adverse and dose-limiting ARIA-E (brain swelling) in 35% of participants. ProMIS’ platform not only generates high-quality antibody candidates with precision selectivity for only the toxic species, it also delivers powerful, confirmed candidates in months versus years. Used in combination with new biomarkers for AD, it gives researchers a unique opportunity to dramatically improve the success and speed of drug development efforts.
Tau2020 will take place February 12-13 in at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. To learn more about AD therapy development efforts, listen to the podcast, Saving Minds, at iTunes or Spotify.
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