On 3 August, the biotechnology company, Alector, reported the financial results from the second quarter of 2023, and provided an update on their ongoing clinical trials for early Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. INVOKE-2 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of AL002, an antibody drug that activates the TREM2 receptor on immune cells in the brain, prompting them to clear damaging proteins such as amyloid beta. In their press release, Alector announced that they have completed screening for this clinical trial, which includes sites in the US, Canada, UK and Europe. First results from INVOKE-2 are expected towards the end of 2024.
Alector also provided an update on INFRONT-3, a pivotal randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial enrolling participants with or at risk of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) due to heterozygous mutations in the progranulin gene (FTD-GRN). INFRONT-3 is evaluating the safety and efficacy of a drug called latozinemab, which they are developing in collaboration with GSK. Latozinemab is a monoclonal antibody which binds to the sortilin receptor, helping to restore levels of progranulin in the blood, theoretically slowing the progression of FTD-GRN.
In their 3 August press release, the company explained that the European Medicines Agency had provided scientific advice on INFRONT-3, resulting in a more focused enrolment of 90-100 symptomatic individuals. As a result, they anticipate that enrolment will be completed by the end of 2023. Read the full press release, here: