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AC Immune Awarded New Grants from MJFF and Target ALS Supporting Programs Targeting TDP-43
AC Immune Awarded New Grants from MJFF and Target ALS Supporting Programs Targeting TDP-43 The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant supports the development of AC
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[{"type":"text","content":"AC Immune Awarded New Grants from MJFF and Target ALS Supporting Programs Targeting TDP-43 The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant supports the development of AC Immune’s first-in-class TDP-43 PET tracer programTarget ALS Foundation grant supports collaboration between AC Immune and world-class institutions to accelerate the development of novel biofluid assays for detecting TDP-43-related neuropathology Lausanne, Switzerland, February 7, 2023 – AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced prestigious new grants from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and Target ALS Foundation (Target ALS) supporting research programs to enable diagnosis of TDP-43 (TAR DNA-binding protein 43), recognized as an important target in multiple neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and as a prominent co-pathology in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “It is an honor to have the support of MJFF and Target ALS, two leading international organizations that recognize the pressing need for diagnostics to detect pathological TDP-43. There is currently no single test to confirm the presence of TDP-43 pathology, and diagnosis is complicated by overlapping motor and clinical symptoms. We firmly believe that a sensitive and accurate diagnostic will represent a breakthrough for the field and will accelerate clinical development of therapeutic candidates against this novel target. Given the heterogeneity and irreversible nature of neurodegeneration, our Precision Medicine approach represents the most promising strategy to identify the right patients and treat them earlier.” Dr. Jamie Eberling, Senior Vice President of Research Resources at MJFF, said: “Brain imaging agents uncovering aggregated pathological protein hold great promise to enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of NDDs, and we are pleased to be expanding our relationship with AC Immune to support its TDP-43 tracer program. AC Immune and its collaborators recently demonstrated their expertise in developing cutting-edge PET imaging agents by providing the first images of alpha-synuclein. With this new grant, we hope to make similar pr...