Alpha Cognition Inc. (TSX-V: ACOG) (OTCQB: ACOGF) (“Alpha Cognition” (ACI), or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, is pleased to announce the discovery of two GEM combinations, ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802, and positive preclinical data from each candidate therapy. ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 are Granulin Epithelin Motifs, or GEMs, derived from full length progranulin (PGRN) which have therapeutic potential across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. GEMs have been shown to be important in regulating cell growth, survival, repair, and inflammation. ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 have demonstrated robust results in a recent preclinical study, leading the Company to believe in the future potential of this platform to develop therapeutics to treat a wide array of diseases. These data underscore robust preclinical evidence supporting Alpha Cognition’s approach to treating neurodegenerative disease and highlight the Company’s strategy to validate these data in additional pre-clinical studies.

Denis Kay, the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer, commented: “FTD, ALS, and SMA are devastating diseases with patients in urgent need of effective therapies. Alpha-0702 and ALPHA-0802 are designed to increase relevant subsets of full-length PGRN levels in patients, assist survival of the motor system through the reduction of TDP-43 and FUS pathology, and to deliver this with potentially lower toxicity, and greater therapeutic effect. These benefits have been observed in preclinical studies and strongly support the continued development of both compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.”

Highlights of the positive proof of concept pre-clinical results demonstrated with ALPHA-0702, ALPHA-0802, and ALPHA-0602 include:

• ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 maintained prolonged cell survival and neuronal morphology, with a potency equivalent to, or approaching full length progranulin.
• ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 reduced both mutant and wild type TDP-43 toxicity, with a potency equivalent to, or approaching full length progranulin.
• ALPHA-0602, and both ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 enhanced Cathepsin D maturation suggestive of improved lysosomal function. These effects were seen in induced pluripotent stem cells, derived from patients harboring toxic TDP-43 mutations, that were terminally differentiated into motor neurons. Both therapeutic candidates have the potential to be as effective as full-length progranulin in promoting Cathepsin D maturation, where under conditions of neuronal stress (FTD models) progranulin has been shown to be inappropriately processed.
• Ongoing studies will confirm reduced neuroinflammation and toxicity associated with ALPHA compounds.

“Collectively, these new insights from our preclinical research further support the development of ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 for the treatment of the neurodegenerative diseases including FTD and ALS,” said Michael McFadden, Alpha Cognition’s Chief Executive Officer. “This represents an important milestone for our company, and we plan to assess the effect of these GEMs with additional pre-clinical trials in our development program.”

About Alpha Cognition Inc.

Alpha Cognition Inc. is a clinical stage, biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), for which there are limited treatment options.

ALPHA-1062, is a patented new chemical entity being developed as a new generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, with expected minimal gastrointestinal side effects. ALPHA-1062's active metabolites is differentiated from donepezil and rivastigmine in that it binds neuronal nicotinic receptors, most notably the alpha-7 subtype, which is known to have a positive effect on cognition. ALPHA-1062 is also being developed in combination with memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia and as an intranasal formulation for traumatic brain injury.

ALPHA-0602 (Progranulin) is expressed in several cell types in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues, promotes cell survival, regulates certain inflammatory processes, and plays a significant role in regulating lysosomal function and microglial responses to disease. Its intended use for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases has been patented by the Company and ALPHA-0602 has been granted an Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of ALS by the FDA.

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Forward-looking Statements

This news release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or a public offering of securities. No securities commission or similar authority in Canada or in any other jurisdiction has reviewed or in any way passed upon this news release or the merits of the securities described herein and any representation to the contrary is an offence.

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, any information contained in this news release may be a forward-looking statement that reflects the Company’s current views about future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “target,” “seek,” “contemplate,” “continue” and “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company’s business strategy, market size, potential growth opportunities, capital requirements, clinical development activities, the timing and results of clinical trials, regulatory submissions, potential regulatory approval and commercialization of the technology. Although the Company believes that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. The Company cannot assure that the actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors include those associated with clinical studies and manufacturing, as well as development and commercialization of the Company’s products; the need for additional financing to maintain operations; risks posed by the economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; market instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential for losses arising from the expansion of operations into new markets; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and the expected demand and desires for the Company’s products and proposed products; reliance on industry manufacturers, suppliers and key personnel; the failure to adequately protect intellectual property; a failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions; and failure to satisfy ongoing regulatory requirements or obtain regulatory approvals. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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