Aelector Inc (NASDAQ: ALEC) is a clinical biotech corporation that recently announced promising results from its Phase-2 INFRONT-2 trial of ALOO1. The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference is where this company that focuses on immuno-neurology decided to conduct this clinical study. Alector is developing AL001 primarily to treat adults with symptoms or who are at risk of suffering from frontotemporal dementia because of a progranulin gene mutation. This monoclonal antibody is meant to elevate the progranulin levels in your body. Progranulin plays a vital role when it comes to regulating the brain’s immune activity.
Low levels of progranulin caused by genetic mutations are what mainly lead to FTD (frontotemporal dementia). This is a rapidly progressive, rare neurodegenerative condition, the most common kind of dementia afflicts people aged 60 and below.
INFRONT-2 Clinical Study
The data presented by the company concentrated on 12 symptomatic FTD patients that were treated over a one-year period in open-label clinical studies designed to evaluate pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, exploratory biomarkers, efficacy, and safety. The AL001 compound not only rapidly restores progranulin levels in both cerebrospinal fluid and plasma during treatment, it also displayed a promising safety profile.
While this study wasn’t designed to display the drug’s clinical benefits, clinical outcome assessments found that it slowed down clinical progression by about 48%. In addition to this, multiple disease-based lysosomal function biomarkers, neuronal health, and complement activation remained stable and trended toward normalcy.
Senior Management
The Chief Medical Officer of Alector, Dr. Robert Paul, said that even though the study was a small open-lab one, the INFRONT-2 results’ totality was encouraging and showed the potential AL001 has to slow down disease progression in people suffering from FTD, which currently has no approved treatment solutions. In addition, AL001 chronic treatment showed on-target, durable activity with a total progranulin deficiency reversal. The CMO confirmed that they’re excited to move forward with this information in the next phase of the study.
