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Researchers say they have reached an important milestone in generating a therapeutic antibody which could be used to treat Alzheimer’s.
The antibody IN-N01, developed by Intellect Neurosciences, is intended for use in clearing the brain of beta amyloid, the toxin that leads to the degenerative disease.
It is based on technology invented by Dr Daniel Chain, Intellect’s chairman. “IN-N01 is designed to specifically block the neurotoxicity of beta amyloid, which accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, while minimising the potential for adverse effects,” he said.
He added that IN-N01 is similar to another drug, bapineuzumab, which is being developed independently by pharmaceuticals companies Wyeth and Elan. “It binds the same portion of the toxin, but we are engineering IN-N01 with the aim of reducing its potential to cause inflammation in the brain and so increase the dose at which it can be administered safely,” Dr Chain said.
Dr Chain said he hoped that IN-N01 would be the best drug in its class and could be used to treat a potentially broader population of Alzheimer’s patients.
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