Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting 1 in 10 over age 65 and nearly 35% over age 85.  Alzheimer’s disease afflicts an estimated 4.5 million Americans, a number expected to reach 9 million by 2030 and 16 million by 2050.  Mild cognitive impairment precedes the progression to clinical Alzheimer’s disease and may afflict more than 25 million people worldwide.  This tremendous medical need remains largely unmet, as current FDA-approved drugs afford only limited symptomatic relief.  Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s mission is to develop effective therapeutics and diagnostics for Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases.  Acumen’s founders discovered soluble oligomers amyloid beta proteins, termed ADDLs (for Amyloid β-derived diffusible ligands), which are now widely recognized as responsible for the memory deficits and neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  Increased levels of ADDLs correlate with neuron dysfunction, and ADDLs can be detected in Alzheimer’s disease model mice at the onset of measurable cognitive deficits.  In humans, ADDL levels are 70-fold higher in Alzheimer’s disease brain than in age-matched control brain.

Diagnostic tests that detect ADDLs in the blood or cerebral spinal fluid would be valuable for patient selection in clinical studies of new Alzheimer’s disease therapies, eliminating individuals with cognitive deficits not related to Alzheimer’s disease.  In studies of drugs that interfere with ADDL formation or activity, an ADDL diagnostic would provide a direct biochemical readout of drug efficacy.  Finally, in the same manner that a cholesterol test is predictive of coronary heart disease, an ADDL diagnostic test would be expected to be predictive of mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease and facilitate early detection and treatment.

Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is seeking world class partners interested in developing and commercializing Alzheimer’s disease and ADDL diagnostics based on Acumen’s patented technology.