Moving forward with Phase II of Fast-Track SBIR Grant to finalize
IND-enabling studies for lead program for Alzheimer’s disease and
related disorders
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oligomerix, Inc., a privately held company pioneering the development of
tau oligomer inhibitors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related
neurodegenerative disorders, announced today the company has
successfully completed Phase I of the work required under its Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I/Phase II Fast-Track grant
announced in October of 2018. The company recently received $1 million
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on
Aging (NIA) to fund Phase 2 activities. The total grant for this
program, entitled “Scale-up and Synthesis of a Tau Oligomer Inhibitor to
initiate IND enabling studies for AD and ADRD,” is in the amount of
$2.49 million.
There is a critical unmet need for disease-modifying drugs for AD and
related dementias, and the role tau plays in the disease has become an
exciting new area of research. Oligomerix, its collaborators, and other
research labs have shown that tau oligomers are directly neurotoxic (Tian
et al., 2013), inhibit signal transmission between neurons, and
impair formation of memory in mice (Fá
et al., 2016). Unlike other companies targeting tau, Oligomerix’s
core technology is focused on inhibiting the formation of
pathology-inducing tau oligomers, and resulting tangle formation, at the
beginning of the tau aggregation cascade. Oligomerix’s lead compound is
a preclinically-advanced tau oligomer inhibitor that has demonstrated
initial efficacy and safety in preclinical studies and is being
developed with an accompanying novel biomarker.
“We are grateful to NIH/NIA for their ongoing support and recognition of
the promise of targeting tau oligomers to treat AD,” said James Moe,
Ph.D., MBA, President and CEO of Oligomerix. “Tau oligomers have been
shown to have an important causal role in the progression of AD,
including neuronal loss and memory impairment, and by blocking the
initial step in tau aggregation, it is our hope we will be able to
prevent the formation of all forms of toxic tau aggregates. We have
identified a pipeline of novel, central nervous system (CNS), small
molecule lead compounds for neurodegenerative diseases with tau
pathology and have achieved in vivo proof-of-concept in an animal model
best representing tau aggregation in AD.
With this NIH award we have initiated IND-enabling studies. Our small
molecule approach has competitive advantages over antibody-based
approaches which only target specific forms of tau aggregates, have poor
access to the brain, and are very costly to manufacture and to
administer.”
The long-term goal of this program is to develop a disease-modifying,
small molecule drug for AD and AD related dementias (ADRD) with tau
pathology. Oligomerix is working in close collaboration with Alzheimer’s
expert Peter Davies, Ph.D., Director, Litwin-Zucker Center for
Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders, The Feinstein Institute for
Medical Research. The award for the Phase II portion of the grant will
fund the GLP safety studies to support the completion of IND-enabling
studies. During the past nine years, Oligomerix has received over $10
million in grants to support the discovery and development of
small-molecule tau oligomer inhibitors and biomarkers for AD and related
neurodegenerative disorders.
The content of this news release is solely the responsibility of the
authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
About Oligomerix, Inc.
Oligomerix is an early-stage biotechnology company focused on
discovering and developing novel, small-molecule tau oligomer inhibitors
for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative diseases with
tau pathology. Oligomerix’ drug discovery platform has identified a
pipeline of novel, central nervous system (CNS), small molecule lead
compounds for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. The leads were
designed to inhibit tau oligomer formation at the beginning of the
aggregation process and in vivo proof-of-concept has been achieved in an
animal model best representing tau aggregation in AD. The company’s lead
program targeting AD has initiated IND-enabling studies. The NYC based
company is located at the Ullmann Research Center for Health Sciences
within the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has received
considerable support from the National Institute on Aging of the
National Institute of Health (NIH). Oligomerix is seeking strategic
partners to support the acceleration and advancement of these important
programs. For more information about Oligomerix, please visit www.oligomerix.com.
Contacts
Company Contact:
Jack Pasini
Chief Commercial Officer
917-912-4088
jpasini@oligomerix.com
James Moe, Ph.D., MBA
President and CEO
212-568-0365
jmoe@oligomerix.com
Media Contact
Michelle Linn
Bioscribe
774-696-3803
michelle@bioscribe.com