Acurex Biosciences to Present Early Clinical Results Supporting its Novel Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers at a Michael J. Fox Foundation Biomarkers Workshop

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acurex Biosciences Corporation, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company with a mission to stop neurodegeneration before it starts, has been selected to present early results on its IRB-approved clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. This longitudinal study evaluates Acurex’s first-in-class non-invasive biomarkers that detect the underlying biology of neurodegenerative disease pathology.

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and there are currently no therapeutic drugs capable of slowing, stopping, or preventing its progression. There is currently no way to identify PD until clinical symptoms are evident, making therapeutic intervention difficult. Biomarkers that provide a biological definition of Parkinson’s disease will allow the early diagnosis of the disease, catalyze therapeutic development and finally enable disease prevention.

Acurex is pioneering first-in-class biomarkers to provide a biological definition of PD. Unlike currently available biomarker tools, Acurex’s biomarkers are based on a simple blood draw to detect PD pathology and further assess target engagement and drug efficacy. These biomarkers are observed in individuals with both genetic and sporadic forms of PD as well as many “at-risk” non-manifesting carriers. Acurex believes its novel biomarkers will not only facilitate the molecular diagnosis of PD, but for the first time, enable therapeutic intervention before clinical symptoms appear.

William D. Shrader, PhD, Acurex co-founder and CEO, stated, “As biomarkers become increasingly important in the FDA’s approval of neurology drugs, Acurex’s work will be a significant extension of the recent advancements made with the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay. We believe that Acurex’s biomarkers will accelerate the era of precision medicine into the field of neurology.”

Acurex has recently begun its clinical trial designed in collaboration with Kalpana Merchant, PhD, to advance these discoveries in a broad population of PD patients. The safety monitoring board of this trial is chaired by Dr. Jill Ostrem, MD and includes Dr. Chad Christine, MD, and Dr. Nijee Luthra, MD, PhD. Acurex’s Vice President of Biology, Sean Pintchovski, PhD, has been selected to present this critical work at the upcoming Michael J. Fox Foundation Biomarkers and Disease Subtyping Workshop.

Presentation Details:

Development of a Novel PBMC-Based, Drug-Responsive Miro1 Biomarker Assay for the Detection of PD
Presented by: Sean Pintchovski, PhD, VP of Biology, Acurex Biosciences
Details: June 13-14^th, 2023, New York City

About Acurex Biosciences

The mission of Acurex Biosciences is to halt neurodegeneration before it starts. Acurex expects to have one or more of its late-preclinical therapeutic candidates for Parkinson’s disease in human trials in 2024. Acurex’s novel approach and founding intellectual property are based on recent discoveries made at Stanford University. With an exclusive license to this intellectual property, Acurex has built a unique target and drug discovery platform, multiple therapeutic programs, and novel biomarkers of PD.

Since inception, Acurex has secured over $18M in private and grant seed funding, including funds from Stanford University, the Silverstein Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and the NIH. Acurex is raising its Series A to fund its therapeutic and biomarker programs' continued development and conduct its first human therapeutic clinical trials. The Acurex team is led by veteran scientists with a proven track record in CNS drug development and serial life sciences entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit https://www.acurex.com.