Funding amout: $2,493,456

Chronic infections are believed to play a crucial role in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Over 90% of AD patients have a bacterium called P. gingivalis in their brains, seeded there from infections in the gum. Clinical data shows that treating the oral infection can significantly reduce AD symptoms. Denteric are developing a novel therapy to treat P. gingivalis infection, which is effective in AD animal models. We now seek funding for a first-ever study of GPV381 in patients with AD.

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex, multifactorial condition. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that chronic inflammation caused by viruses, bacteria or bacterial toxins, may contribute to disease progression.

At Denteric, we are developing GPV381, a therapy designed to treat chronic inflammation associated with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a bacterium commonly found in the mouth where it causes severe periodontal disease.

Recent studies suggest that P. gingivalis may also contribute to Alzheimer’s disease by releasing toxins that can travel to the brain. In our animal models, we have shown that treatment with GPV381 can reduce inflammation and amyloid plaque in the brain, which are key hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our ultimate goal is to develop a therapy that can help slow cognitive decline in patients. If successful, we believe this could improve quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and reduce their dependence on carers.

An important part of our work is considering whether this therapy will be practical and acceptable for patients and carers. This is why input from the community steering committee has been so valuable to us.

We recognise that any new therapy must impose minimal burden for patients or carers. For this reason, we envisage the therapy as a course of three injections, with the potential for a yearly booster. This approach is designed to avoid relying on patients or carers to remember daily medication.

Because the therapy is intended to be delivered as a simple injection in the arm, without the need for specialised hospital equipment, we believe it has the potential to be more convenient and accessible for people living in regional or remote areas or who have trouble leaving their home or care facility.

Safety is always paramount in the development of new medicines. We have previously shown in a clinical study in healthy volunteers that GPV381 was safe and well tolerated. This project will allow us to investigate safety specifically in people living with Alzheimer’s disease. We will also assess whether the therapy can stimulate the immune system to help clear P. gingivalis and its toxins.

If the project is successful, the next step will be to conduct a larger clinical study to evaluate not only safety, but also whether the therapy provides clinical benefit to patients, such as slowing cognitive decline.