Hoth Therapeutics, Inc., a patient-focused biopharmaceutical company, announced proof-of-concept data generated using an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model, supporting the therapeutic potential of HT-ALZ. The research was conducted as part of the company’s Sponsored Research Agreement with Washington University in St. Louis. HT-ALZ is a therapeutic in development under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for the treatment of dementia related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
AD is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by aggregates of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles of Tau protein in the brain, which contribute to the clinical symptoms of the disease such as dementia. The initial experiments, conducted by Carla Yuede, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and John Cirrito, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology, at Washington University School of Medicine, focused on investigating the effect of orally administered HT-ALZ to reduce the concentration of Aβ in the brain interstitial fluid, using an established Alzheimer’s Disease mouse model. The initial data from these studies shows a significant decrease in Aβ in both male and female APP/PS1+/- mice after acute treatment with HT-ALZ, compared to placebo-treated animals and baseline Aβ levels, supporting that HT-ALZ has the potential to modify Aβ plaque formation in the brain and be developed as an AD therapeutic.
“The overall positive result from these studies is a first step but a big one in the development of HT-ALZ as an Alzheimer’s therapeutic,” said Stefanie Johns, Chief Scientific Officer of Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. “HT-ALZ is a unique therapeutic in the AD development space because it is eligible for streamlined development under the 505(b)(2) pathway, including available safety data. This allows Hoth to reach efficacy clinical trials faster and bring a new potential treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
“The results of these experiments show a reduction in circulating brain Aβ in our model, and we are looking forward to determining how these changes influence behavior and cognitive function,” said Dr. Yuede.
Future research studies to be conducted by Dr. Cirrito and Dr. Yuede will investigate the effect of HT-ALZ on memory, anxiety, and executive function in the APP/PS1+/- mice model after chronic dosing with HT-ALZ.