HQ Team
December 12, 2024: Filamon Limited, an Australian biotech company, has announced a significant advancement in dementia treatment with its new drug, ALPHA-003. This treatment aims to halt the progression of dementia by protecting vital brain cell structures from inflammation-induced damage.
Understanding the mechanism
ALPHA-003 targets the tau protein and neurofilaments, which are essential for maintaining the structural integrity of neurons. In healthy conditions, tau stabilizes microtubules are critical components that support neuron shape and function. However, in diseases like Alzheimer’s and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), tau can become modified and form toxic aggregates that disrupt these structures, leading to cell death.
Associate Professor Kieran Scott from Western Sydney University and co-founder of Filamon emphasizes that “the underlying problem with most forms of dementia is the destruction of a key structural component of brain cells known as microtubules.” Current treatments primarily address the consequences of this damage but have limited effectiveness. In contrast, ALPHA-003 is designed to prevent microtubular destruction before it occurs.
The development journey
Initially developed as a general anti-inflammatory drug targeting human group IIA secretory phospholipase A2 (hGIIA), ALPHA-003’s potential for treating neuroinflammation emerged during research. Professor Graham Kelly, Filamon’s CEO, explained that they discovered ALPHA-003 could also protect tau from forming harmful aggregates linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
Pre-clinical studies have shown promising results, indicating that ALPHA-003 can cross the blood-brain barrier in mammals, allowing it to exert direct effects on brain cells. The team is optimistic about its potential and has announced these findings even before formal publication due to their significance.
Future prospects
Filamon aims to have ALPHA-003 ready for clinical trials by 2026. The drug is expected to treat not only Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia but also other tauopathies like progressive supranuclear palsy and CTE.
Kelly reflects on the personal motivations behind this research, sharing his experiences witnessing the devastating effects of dementia on loved ones. He envisions ALPHA-003 being used at the time of diagnosis to mitigate the effects of ongoing neuroinflammation.
With its innovative approach to tackling dementia at a structural level, ALPHA-003 represents a hopeful advancement in the quest for effective treatments against neurodegenerative diseases.
Neurological conditions affect 3.4 billion people or 43% globally, making them the top contributor to the global disease burden ahead of cardiovascular diseases, according to an analysis. Over 443 million years of healthy life were lost due to illness, disability, and premature deaths in 2021 due to neurological health issues.
The conditions included stroke, neonatal encephalopathy or brain injury, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage.
