ImmunoBrain Checkpoint Awarded $5 Million US NIA Grant for Phase 1b Alzheimer’s Disease Proof-of-Mechanism Study of Anti-PD-L1 IBC-Ab002
Summary
Its development is based on studies carried out at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, demonstrating that the immune system is needed for the maintenance of healthy brain function and repair, but may be impaired in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In pre-clinical studies, treatment with an anti-PD-L1 antibody has been shown to reduce both amyloid-beta and tau, two key toxic proteins, alteration in the inflammatory milieu of the brain, preservation of synapses and neurons, and improvement in cognition as measured by learning/memory tests. After a rigorous review process by scientists, clinicians, and key opinion leaders, we thank the NIA for its recognition that augmenting the body’s natural defenses could be an important avenue for treating Alzheimer’s disease.” Professor Michal Schwartz, IBC’s Chief Scientific Officer, said: “Seeing the robustness of the effect in so many animal models, and on both symptoms and disease pathology, reinforces my optimism that we have the potential to activate a general mechanism needed for brain repair that will overcome many of the unique complexities of Alzheimer’s disease. IBC’s IP platform emerged from the laboratory of Professor Michal Schwartz and licensed from Yeda, the commercialization arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. IBC’s technology is based on more than 20 years of studies by Schwartz’s team, who pioneered the idea that the brain engages in a life-long dialogue with the immune system for its maintenance and repair, and that this communication is compromised in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.