Profile of gantenerumab and its potential in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Dijana Novakovic,¹ Marco Feligioni,² Sergio Scaccianoce,¹ Alessandra Caruso,¹ Sonia Piccinin,² Chiara Schepisi,^1,2 Francesco Errico,³ Nicola B Mercuri,⁴ Ferdinando Nicoletti,^1,5 Robert Nisticò<sup>1,4

1</sup>Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; ²European Brain Research Institute, Rome, Italy; ³Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy; ⁴Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, Istituto di Ricerca e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; ⁵Istituto di Ricerca e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by gradual cognitive decline associated with deterioration of daily living activities and behavioral disturbances throughout the course of the disease, is estimated to affect 27 million people around the world. It is expected that the illness will affect about 63 million people by 2030, and 114 million by 2050, worldwide. Current Alzheimer's disease medications may ease symptoms for a time but are not capable of slowing down disease progression. Indeed, all currently available therapies, such as cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine), are primarily considered symptomatic therapies, although recent data also suggest possible disease-modifying effects. Gantenerumab is an investigational fully human anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibody with a high capacity to bind and remove beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. This compound, currently undergoing Phase II and III clinical trials represents a promising agent with a disease-modifying potential in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we present an overview of gantenerumab ranging from preclinical studies to human clinical trials.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, gantenerumab, monoclonal antibody, amyloid-β, clinical trials

Corrigendum for this paper has been published