Existing drug shows promise against multiple features of Alzheimer’s in lab study
London: An existing drug that already passed early human safety tests has reduced multiple Alzheimer’s-linked features in a lab model, according to neuroscientists at King’s College London.
The drug, KCL-286, was originally developed for spinal cord injury and has cleared Phase 1 safety trials. Researchers found it could repair DNA damage and reduce inflammation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s — two processes that occur in the earliest stages of the disease.
Most current Alzheimer’s drug development has focused on clearing toxic build-ups of proteins like amyloid-beta and tau, with limited clinical success. The King’s team took a different approach by targeting a protein in the retinoic acid pathway, which processes vitamin A.
“Our findings demonstrate that KCL-286 not only targets DNA damage but also reduces inflammation, two processes that occur very early in Alzheimer’s disease progression,” said Dr Maria Goncalves, project manager of the drug development. “This highlights its potential as a disease-modifying therapy, rather than simply addressing symptoms.”
Prof. Jonathan Corcoran, Professor of Neuroscience at King’s, explained that DNA double-strand breaks are “like a rope snapping completely in two.” The study found KCL-286 promotes repair of these breaks.
First author Natasha Hill added: “To develop an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, we need to tackle multiple aspects of the disease. KCL-286 was able to target multiple disease-relevant cellular pathways, some of which are initiated very early in the disease course.”
Because KCL-286 has already passed Phase 1 human safety testing, researchers say it could significantly shorten the timeline for further development toward clinical use in Alzheimer’s.
