Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

Blood from “runner” mice can boost cognition and memory, and lessen brain inflammation — a key feature seen in people with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s — when transferred into sedentary mice, a study shows. The benefits of “exercised” blood was linked to high levels of the clusterin protein,…

Patient dosing has begun in Cyclerion Therapeutic’s Phase 2a trial testing CY6463, a disease-modifying therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease who have cardiovascular risk factors — health conditions that increase the risk of heart disease. The experimental oral therapy is designed to improve cognition and function in people with…

Annovis Bio’s oral therapy ANVS401 lessened the accumulation of toxic forms of amyloid-beta and tau protein — two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease — and led to significant improvements in cognition in patients with early Alzheimer’s, data from a Phase 2a study show. Moreover, ANVS401 levels in the blood…

BioXcel Therapeutics has launched a pivotal Phase 3 trial program to continue to evaluate BXCL501, its oral experimental candidate for the treatment of agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The new program consists of two clinical trials — TRANQUILITY II and TRANQUILITY III — and will assess the…

Athira Pharma announced its Phase 2 ACT-AD trial is fully enrolled and its Phase 2/3 LIFT-AD trial has reached more than half of its target number. Both studies are evaluating the safety and efficacy of ATH-1017 in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Eligible adults, ages 55…

An investigation vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease, ACI-35.030 by AC Immune, induced a potent production of antibodies against toxic forms of tau protein — a Alzheimer’s hallmark — in patients with early stage disease, interim results of an ongoing Phase 1b/2a trial show. “These promising results … will be invaluable as we…

Vivoryon Therapeutics is looking to enroll patients at different stages of Alzheimer’s disease for two ongoing, Phase 2 trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of its investigational oral treatment varoglutamstat. The therapy candidate has shown evidence, in earlier trials, of improving cognition, memory, and attention in Alzheimer’s patients, with…

Use of a portable neurostimulator by Actipulse Neuroscience that delivers fast gamma waves to particular brain regions as a way to stop or slow Alzheimer’s disease was found to be safe in a pilot clinical trial. Another trial focused on testing the device’s effectiveness is expected to open early…

The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 trial testing ACU193, an antibody designed by Acumen Pharmaceuticals to target toxic forms of amyloid beta — called amyloid-beta oligomers — as a potential therapy for early Alzheimer’s disease. The INTERCEPT-AD Phase 1 trial (NCT04931459) is expecting to…

Note: This story was updated Oct. 19, 2021, to better reflect the amount by which Nuravax’s vaccines can raise blood antibody levels. The nonprofit Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMM) has licensed its universal vaccine platform technology — called MultiTEP — to Nuravax, a biotech developing therapies for…