Optimized ACI‐24, an amyloid beta (Abeta) vaccine that safely drives immunity to oligomers and Pyroglutamate Abeta, key pathological species of Alzheimer's disease (AD). (20th December 2022) - Fiorini, Emma
Abstract: Background: Amyloid immunotherapy has received recent clinical validation with monoclonal antibodies. Vaccines, such as optimized ACI‐24, are designed to produce a broader, robust antibody response against multiple pathologic forms of Abeta with the added advantage to reduce treatment frequency. Optimized ACI‐24 builds on the initial safety, immunogenicity and pharmacodynamic data of ACI‐24 that has been studied in AD and Down Syndrome‐related AD. Optimized ACI‐24 is formulated with the additional immune cell help via a non‐Abeta, universal T‐helper cell peptide, aiming to insure sustained antibody production, particularly against pathological Abeta species, such as oligomers and truncated pyroglutamate. Method: Optimized ACI‐24 was generated using the SupraAntigen® platform. Mice and non‐human primates were immunized and sera/plasma obtained to measure titers against Abeta1‐42, pyroglutamate (Abeta3‐42) and oligomers. Epitope mapping, immunohistochemistry on different human tissues, including AD brains were performed. Result: Immunization of mice and cynomolgus monkeys with optimized ACI‐24 resulted in potent antigen specific IgG levels. The polyclonal antibody response was observed to mature over time with higher affinity IgGs emerging as well as an increase in titers of IgGs that recognized the highly neurotoxic Abeta species including truncated pyroglutamate and pathological Abeta oligomers. Epitope mapping confirmed the induction of a broader spectrum of antibodies recognizing the N‐terminal containing and the truncated species of pathological Abeta, as compared to the previously clinically tested Abeta vaccines. In addition, target engagement was demonstrated as the immunized monkey sera labeled Abeta plaques in AD patient brain sections while did not show any binding to other human tissues. Conclusion: These preclinical data illustrate that optimized ACI‐24 generates IgGs with a broader N‐terminal Abeta sequence recognition than offered by clinically tested mAbs or Abeta vaccines. This unique binding profile for the pathogenic forms of Abeta, including truncated pyroglutamate and toxic oligomers, is encouraging as it combines the targets of mAbs, such as Aducanumab and Donanemab, recently linked to clinical benefits, and thus, the potential of enhancing plaque reduction. The presented data support the fast progression of optimized ACI‐24 into clinical development as a disease modifying treatment with potential for prevention in AD and Down Syndrome‐related AD.