Unique pathway to cure neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases in the central nervous system (CNS) arise when nerve cells progressively decay, and ultimately die. Current treatments of neurodegenerative diseases often only provide mild symptom relief. Despite many years of tireless efforts from the global pharmaceutical community to develop safe and effective treatments with the potential to modify, or even stop, the progression of these diseases, success has been limited.
BioArctic’s research and development are focused on those neurodegenerative diseases that arise due to defects in individual proteins, causing the proteins to misfold and aggregate. Over time, an increasingly toxic environment develops within and around individual nerve cells which stops normal function and eventually leads to cell death.
Based on a unique drug development technology, we develop novel treatments in both common and rare neurodegenerative diseases such as: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and several other indications.
BioArctic’s antibody technology
We develop unique antibody treatments targeting misfolded and aggregated proteins that underlie neurodegenerative diseases. More specifically our antibody drugs target the soluble, and more toxic forms of the disease-causing proteins, known as oligomers or protofibrils. By direct neutralization or eliciting an immune reaction toward the proteins, the oligomers and protofibrils are cleared, also rendering late-stage protein accumulation less likely to occur.
In 2007, we developed lecanemab, an antibody drug with the potential to revolutionize the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Since then, the portfolio has grown to include a broad portfolio of potential antibody treatments targeting the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other related neurodegenerative diseases.
The high level of selectivity of pathological aggregated proteins enables us to aviod interaction with the physiological function of the protein, which has become an important feature in BioArctic’s antibody technology.