Journal Article

The antibody aducanumab reduces Abeta plaques in Alzheimer's disease

Weinreb, Paul H., Williams, Leslie, Maier, Marcel, Bussière, Thierry, Sevigny, Jeff, Chiao, Ping, Dunstan, Robert

2016

Overview

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by deposition of amyloid-[beta] (A[beta]) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, accompanied by synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Antibody-based immunotherapy against A[beta] to trigger its clearance or mitigate its neurotoxicity has so far been unsuccessful. Here we report the generation of aducanumab, a human monoclonal antibody that selectively targets aggregated A[beta]. In a transgenic mouse model of AD, aducanumab is shown to enter the brain, bind parenchymal A[beta], and reduce soluble and insoluble A[beta] in a dose-dependent manner. In patients with prodromal or mild AD, one year of monthly intravenous infusions of aducanumab reduces brain A[beta] in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This is accompanied by a slowing of clinical decline measured by Clinical Dementia Rating--Sum of Boxes and Mini Mental State Examination scores. The main safety and tolerability findings are amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. These results justify further development of aducanumab for the treatment of AD. Should the slowing of clinical decline be confirmed in ongoing phase 3 clinical trials, it would provide compelling support for the amyloid hypothesis.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Alzheimer's disease / Drug therapy / Genetic aspects / Physiological aspects