$3.7 Million in New ADDF Investments Supports Innovative Research Worldwide

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announced four new investments totaling more than $3.7 million, supporting some of the best ideas from around the world. The newly funded programs include research centers ranging from Hong Kong to Germany and the United States. Three investments are focused on innovative blood and digital biomarker research, and the fourth is a pre-clinical program exploring an immunotherapy treatment targeting frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), a rare type of early-onset dementia.

“Our biomarker research is advancing the development of simple, efficient and readily accessible blood tests, such as the recently announced beta-amyloid blood test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” said Dr. Howard Fillit, the ADDF’s Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer. “C2N Diagnostics’ blood test is now available in the clinic and we’re making strategic investments in additional tests which we hope will follow in the next few years to address the critical need for less costly and more accessible diagnostic testing in memory and dementia care.”

In addition to contributing to progress on blood tests, the ADDF is also working to expand the concept of digital biomarkers – novel ways to use technology to collect data in a real-world environment. Dr. Fillit added, “Digital biomarkers will augment traditional lab tests and imaging tools with creative and cost-effective approaches to collect, track, and analyze patient data like never before."

BIOMARKERS

Kevin Yarasheski, Ph.D., C2N Diagnostics
Clinical Validation and Accreditation for Plasma Aß42/Aß40 as a Biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology
$2,225,237

The ADDF’s support of C2N Diagnostics will help to accelerate clinical validation and accreditation of its beta-amyloid blood test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Dr. Yarasheski is developing a diagnostic blood test using plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 as a biomarker to identify people with probable Alzheimer’s pathology among those experiencing unexplained mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. The test has the potential to aid in earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease, which would help to accelerate efficient enrollment of the right participants in Alzheimer’s drug trials.

Judith Steen, Ph.D., Boston Children's Hospital
Quantitative Profiling of Proteopathy-Associated Proteins and their Fragments in Blood to Diagnose AD and FTD and to Monitor Treatment Response
$572,678

Dr. Steen and her team are developing a blood test to measure levels of two proteins, called tau and TDP-43, biomarkers that can signal early changes in the brains of people who will go on to develop FTD. There are no tests currently to distinguish between tau and TDP-43 pathology, a distinction which is needed to enroll FTD patients in the right clinical trials. These blood tests would provide an efficient, minimally invasive way to differentiate FTD subtypes and provide clinicians with critically needed tools to follow individual treatment response.

Guoliang Xing, Ph.D., The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Machine Learning Technologies for Advancing Digital Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease
$641,204

Using motion, acoustic, and visual sensors in smart devices like smart phones and wearables, Dr. Xing and his team at Chinese University are collecting data remotely on activities of daily living from 200 individuals. They will then use deep learning technologies—which mimic the work of the human brain—to recognize, classify and analyze the data, and turn it into interpretable algorithms that can help with both early detection and diagnosis of individuals at higher risk of developing dementia, as well as developing personalized intervention strategies.

DRUG DISCOVERY

Dieter Edbauer, M.D., German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Preclinical efficacy study for antibody therapy in C9orf72 FTD/ALS mice
$300,000

Dr. Edbauer’s work is focused on developing an immunotherapy treatment for the most common genetic mutation in people with FTD. Mutations in the C9orf72 gene lead to abnormal buildup of a protein that causes inflammation and cell death in the brains of people with FTD. Unlike all other proteins that build up to cause neurodegeneration, the proteins connected to C9orf72, called dipeptide repeats or DPR proteins, are disease-specific and have no other normal function in the body, which makes them a good target for drug development for C9orf72 patients.