A fledgling New Haven biotech said it is heading into human testing this year with an experimental Alzheimer’s drug it has licensed from Bristol Myers-Squibb.
Allyx Therapeutics, a two-year-old company helmed by Connecticut venture capitalist Dr. Stephen Bloch, announced the licensing agreement earlier this month.
Yale School of Medicine neurology professor Dr. Stephen Strittmatter is a co-founder, and the agreement with BMS includes a sublicense from Yale University, the company said.
Recent research suggests that synapse loss — or damage to the connection between brain cells — is a main driver of Alzheimer’s progression, the company said.
The drug candidate, called ALX-001, regulates a protein on the cell membrane known as metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). Preclinical studies show it can restore synapses that transmit signals between neurons.
Strittmatter’s research found the drug could reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease in mice models.
“Protecting the synapse is a compelling treatment rationale for a ravaging disease,” Bloch, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “We look forward to advancing ALX-001 in clinical trials as soon as the beginning of 2021.”
Contact Natalie Missakian at news@newhavenbiz.com