Cognition Therapeutics presents preclinical data on zervimesine at ARVO

Cognition Therapeutics (CGTX) reported preclinical data this week at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology showing the potential for zervimesine to protect retinal pigment epithelial cells from damage in dry age-related macular degeneration. Zervimesine is an oral drug candidate that has been shown to reach therapeutic concentrations in the eye and was investigated in the Phase 2 MAGNIFY clinical trial. It binds to a receptor, which is found on cells in the retina and brain. A poster presented by research scientist, Britney Lizama, PhD, shows that this receptor regulates the ability of retinal cells to take in low-density lipoprotein, a major fuel source for cells. The process that cells use to take in lipids is damaged in dry AMD, weakening the retinal cells and contributing to their mortality. A second poster presented by Drs. Hamby and Lizama, shows zervimesine may protect retinal cells from the onslaught of oxidized lipids. In dry AMD, oxidized lipids build up in the retina. Together with other waste products, these lipids form aggregates called drusen, which is a hallmark of dry AMD. Drusen is believed to damage RPE cells and contribute to their eventual loss and subsequent loss of photoreceptors. These data add to our growing understanding of zervimesine’s mechanism and its potential impact across age-related degenerative diseases. In a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial in 100 people with geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD, treatment with zervimesine was shown to slow the rate of GA lesion growth by 28.6% compared to placebo. As a result, people treated with zervimesine had smaller GA lesions on average at the end of the study than did their placebo counterparts. In addition to dry AMD, zervimesine’s potential to rescue cellular function in degenerative diseases is supported by robust clinical results from studies in people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.