Asceneuron SA | Awarded by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
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Award will fund first in human clinical trials of next generation O-GlcNAcase inhibitor, ASN51, to start Q2 2021
Asceneuron SA, an emerging leader in the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, announced the receipt of a USD 2.2 million award from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) for a first in human Phase I study of the Company’s next generation O-GlcNAcase inhibitor, ASN51. The trial is due to recruit healthy volunteers and Alzheimer’s disease patients at sites in Europe and Australia, to start in Q2 2021, with first interim data due in Q3 2021.
The award will support a Phase 1 single ascending dose arm and a positron emission tomography (PET) target engagement study in healthy volunteers. The Phase 1 clinical trials will assess safety and tolerability of ASN51, and closely examine multiple biomarkers relevant to the target mechanism and neurodegeneration in healthy subjects and Alzheimer’s patients.
O-GlcNAcase is an emerging drug target in central nervous system (CNS) drug development since deficient glycosylation patterns of intracellular proteins have been associated with diseases of aging and neuronal dysfunction. O GlcNAcase inhibitors prevent the elimination of intracellular protein glycosylation, thereby halting the decline of the steady-state levels of this posttranslational modification. O GlcNAcase inhibitors have initially been pursued exclusively for tau-related diseases. Emerging preclinical data suggest a wider application to intracellular proteinopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, and diseases of disturbed neuronal network function in general, with the potential to provide both disease-modifying and symptomatic benefits at the same time as multimodal drugs.
Asceneuron
Asceneuron is an emerging biotech company excelling in the discovery and development of ground breaking therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders with high unmet medical need such as orphan tauopathies, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.