Oligomerix Presents Preclinical Data Showing Efficacy of Differentiated Approach Targeting Tau in Models of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Tauopathies

July 30, 2021 |

4 min read

Oligomerix, Inc., a privately held company pioneering the development of small molecule therapeutics targeting tau for rare neurodegenerative and Alzheimer’s diseases, announced that the Company presented at the 2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in a presentation titled “In vivo validation of therapeutic efficacy of a small molecule lead targeting tau self-association in JNPL3 mice.”

-- Data presented at AAIC demonstrates oral lead product candidate OLX-07010 reduces tau self-association and insoluble tau aggregates --

-- Oligomerix to begin clinical testing of OLX-07010 in 2Q22 --

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OLIGOMERIX Inc., a privately held company pioneering the development of small molecule therapeutics targeting tau for rare neurodegenerative and Alzheimer’s diseases, announced that the Company presented at the 2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in a presentation titled “In vivo validation of therapeutic efficacy of a small molecule lead targeting tau self-association in JNPL3 mice.”

“Aggregation of tau is highly associated with the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy,” said James Moe, Ph.D., MBA, President and CEO of Oligomerix. “The data from our preclinical studies continue to support our differentiated approach targeting tau self-association, an upstream mechanism at the beginning of the tau aggregation cascade, for reducing tau pathology. We look forward to starting our first-in-human (FIH) studies of our lead program early next year.”

Initial studies in two mouse models, representative of tau aggregation in Alzheimer’s (htau) and rare neurodegenerative diseases (P301L tau JNPL3), have shown that oral administration of OLX-07010 to young mice prevented the self-association of tau and the accumulation of large insoluble aggregates of tau associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In this virtual presentation, the results of a therapeutic study of aged mice, with pre-existing tau aggregates, showed that treatment with OLX-07010 blocked tau self-association, blocked further progression of large tau aggregates, and reduced the overall accumulation of tau that occurred in the untreated mice, all with statistical significance. Aberrantly phosphorylated tau aggregates were similarly inhibited from accumulating. In parallel, treatment of the aged mice rescued the loss of motor function that develops in these mice as they age. These preclinical studies support the advancement of OLX-07010 into clinical studies for Alzheimer’s disease and rare tauopathies. These preventive and therapeutic studies were independently performed by the late Peter Davies, Ph.D. at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research (Manhasset, NY).

Oligomerix plans to complete preclinical testing of OLX-07010 by year end and begin Phase 1 clinical trials in 2Q22.

About Oligomerix’s Lead Program

Oligomerix’s lead candidate is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of tau self-association that targets the beginning of the tau aggregation cascade, a process thought to be important in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Our lead compound, OLX-07010, has demonstrated efficacy in several animal models of neurodegeneration and, upon completion of its preclinical program in the next couple of months, will start Phase 1 clinical studies in early 2022.

About Oligomerix, Inc.

Oligomerix is an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing disease-modifying therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases characterized by aberrant tau protein ranging from rare tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy and frontotemporal dementia to Alzheimer’s disease.

With a focus on oral, small molecule, tau self-association inhibitors, Oligomerix seeks to develop therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias that are easy to administer and cost effective, and which are expected to significantly add to newly emerging high-cost therapeutic options such as the monoclonal antibody targeted against beta-amyloid that was recently approved by the U.S. FDA.

Oligomerix is headquartered at the Westchester Park Center in White Plains, New York and has lab facilities at the Ullmann Research Center for Health Sciences within the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Follow Oligomerix on Twitter and LinkedIn.

DISCLAIMER

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number AG053150. “The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”

Oligomerix is seeking strategic partners to support the acceleration and advancement of these important programs. For more information about Oligomerix, please visit our new website at https://oligomerix.com/.