ACU193
Our mission is to develop the right antibody for the right target and in the right amount – ultimately producing a more pronounced and clinically active treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Enter ACU193.
ACU193, our lead therapeutic candidate, is an anti-amyloid-beta oligomer (AβO) monoclonal antibody (mAb) with best-in-class potential for superior efficacy and safety in Alzheimer’s disease. It has been designed to have disease-modifying benefits with an improved safety profile, while also potentially providing symptomatic benefit for Alzheimer’s patients.
ACU193 is the first immunotherapy drug candidate to enter the clinic that was developed to target toxic AβOs: a persistent driver of Alzheimer’s-associated pathology and neurodegeneration. ACU193 addresses an underlying cause of Alzheimer’s by preventing toxic AβOs from binding to dendritic spines and helping preserve neuronal function. To learn more about AβOs, please visit our Science page.
ACU193 is differentiated from other anti-amyloid mAbs:
- Highly selective for oligomers, the toxic AβO species, relative to other anti-amyloid mAbs that are less selective and/or target different amyloid species, such as monomers or plaques
- Designed to provide improved clinical efficacy with low risk of ARIA (amyloid-related imaging abnormalities)
- Potential for cognitive improvement in addition to disease slowing
State 1
ACU193 antibody prevents toxic AβOs from binding to dendritic spines and preserves neural function
State 2
AβOs are a primary trigger and persistent driver of Alzheimer’s-associated pathology and neurodegeneration.
History of ACU193
ACU193 is the result of an eight-year research collaboration between Acumen and Merck, for which we hold its exclusive rights. Under the Acumen team’s stewardship, we further continued to profile in vivo activity and developability of ACU193. In 2017, the National Institute of Aging awarded a competitive $3.6 million U01 grant to Acumen for preclinical and early clinical development of ACU193.
Clinical Development of ACU193
In 2021, Acumen has initiated a first-in-human, Phase 1 clinical trial of ACU193 in early Alzheimer’s patients. We anticipate ACU193 to provide early-stage Alzheimer’s patients with clinically meaningful slowing of cognitive decline with an acceptable safety profile. Depending on results on this ongoing clinical trial, we could potentially investigate ACU193 in later-stage patients in the future.
