INM-901 for Alzheimer's disease
InMed has expanded its pharmaceutical pipeline with INM-901, a cannabinoid analog, to investigate its potential in treating Alzheimer’s Disease.
INM-901 demonstrates unique therapeutic effects from current treatments
InMed’s INM-901 is a drug candidate being developed as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Promising early studies demonstrate INM-901’s neuroprotective effects and an ability to extend neurite length, signifying improved neuronal function, a unique therapeutic effect not shown in any current Alzheimer’s disease treatments.
INM-901’s neuroprotective effects and enhanced neuronal function
InMed has conducted several in vitro and in vivo studies to test the pharmacological effects of INM-901, a cannabinoid analog, in Alzheimer’s disease preclinical models with promising results demonstrating disease-modifying effects.
In its latest in vivo studies in a well-known Alzheimer’s disease treatment study model, INM-901 demonstrated a trend in improvement in cognitive function and memory, locomotor activity, anxiety-based behavior, sound awareness and neuronal function. INM-901 also displayed neuroprotective effects by reducing cell death in an amyloid-beta-induced cytotoxicity study.
Previous in vitro studies conducted by InMed showed how this rare cannabinoid demonstrated neuroprotective effects in a population of affected neurons and promoted neurite outgrowth, signifying the potential to enhance neuronal function.
Alzheimer’s disease – a major unmet medical need
Newly-approved Alzheimer’s disease medications primarily address symptoms related to memory and cognitive function via the reduction of beta-amyloid plaques. Some may slow the rate of cognitive decline, but no treatment has shown to reverse its effects. These medications are aimed at removing amyloid plaque build-up between the neurons in the brain; however, they do not restore or rebuild deteriorating neurons and thus do not reverse Alzheimer’s disease progression. In addition, these treatments are related to some significant side effects, including inflammation and bleeding in the brain, requiring brain scans once or twice a year. The administration of these treatments, which include an intravenous infusion every 2-4 weeks, also presents a challenge.
INM-901 targets several biological pathways associated with Alzheimer’s disease
InMed’s research demonstrates how a specific rare cannabinoid may inhibit or slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
INM-901 potentially offers a unique treatment approach that may target several biological pathways associated with Alzheimer’s disease. InMed’s studies demonstrate INM-901’s potential to provide neuroprotection of the brain neurons from beta-amyloid peptide-induced toxicity and also demonstrated an ability to extend neurite length, signifying the potential to improve neuronal function, a potential breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
Candidate selection process
InMed’s research into the neuroprotective effects of INM-088 for glaucoma led to the screening of multiple cannabinoids against a panel of non-ocular neuron models, including brain neurons. One cannabinoid, in particular, emerged as a promising candidate for protection against neurodegenerative diseases.
InMed’s team developed several analogs of this cannabinoid to potentially improve the effects demonstrated in the original neuronal in vitro models. Further screening in several Alzheimer’s disease assays identified two analogs that were advanced into in vivo preclinical testing involving a well-established Alzheimer’s proof-of-concept model to measure drug impact on several disease characteristics. Based on the results from this battery of preclinical testing, INM-901 has been selected as InMed’s lead drug candidate for continued pharmaceutical R&D studies in Alzheimer’s disease.
Cannabinoids and their potential role in neuronal disorders
Several in vitro and in vivo studies published by third parties support InMed’s findings of the effects of rare cannabinoids in neuronal disorders. Rare cannabinoids may be promising drug candidates for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases due to their pharmacological effects.
- Ability to cross the blood-brain barrier: The blood-brain barrier is the specialized system of brain microvascular endothelial cells that serves to regulate several functions including shielding the brain from toxic substances (including viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances including many drugs), supplying brain tissues with nutrients and filtering harmful compounds from the brain back into the bloodstream. Rare cannabinoids, including INM-901, are highly lipophilic (dissolves readily in fats, oils and lipids) and can easily cross the blood-brain barrier, making them potential pharmaceutical agents for neurological disorders.
- Targeting several receptor systems: In addition to the endocannabinoid system, rare cannabinoids are capable of targeting multiple receptor systems which may be beneficial as a multi-pronged approach to treat complex diseases of the brain.
Neurodegenerative Disease Program Progress
In addition to the promising in vivo studies in Alzheimer’s disease, InMed is building a strong foundation to support the success of its INM-901 program has progressed follow on several developments in the program:
- International patent – Several patents have been filed by InMed including an international application citing use of rare cannabinoids and analogs for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and others. One patent specifies such compounds that may inhibit or slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by providing neuroprotection in a population of affected neurons.
- Presentation at Canadian Neuroscience Meeting – An InMed sponsored scientific poster, entitled “Cannabinoids modulate cytotoxicity and neuritogenesis in Amyloid-beta-treated neuronal cells,” demonstrated the ability of a specific rare cannabinoid to reduce amyloid toxicity and tau protein expression while enhancing neuronal cell growth and neuritogenesis markers in vitro, all considered to be important targets in the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Rare cannabinoid pharmaceutical pipeline
INM-901, a drug candidate for Alzheimer’s disease, is our third rare cannabinoid pharmaceutical development program. INM-755 cannabinol (CBN) cream has completed a Phase 2 clinical trial and the Company will evaluate strategic partnership for further development in the treatment of EB or other itch-related skin conditions. Our second program, INM-088, is a CBN eye drop formulation in preclinical studies investigating its potential as a treatment for glaucoma.
