Pre-clinical study results of EVP-0015962 presented at AAICAD 2010

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals today announced at the Alzheimer's Association 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) results from its proprietary gamma-secretase modulator (GSM) pre-clinical study.  In a transgenic mouse model, EnVivo's EVP-0015962 reduced amyloid plaque buildup which is believed to be a cause of Alzheimer's disease, reversed behavioral deficits and reduced brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease.

EVP-0015962 is a proprietary small molecule compound that belongs to a new generation of potential Alzheimer's drugs known as gamma-secretase modulators.  EVP-0015962 selectively inhibits the production of the toxic aggregated amyloid AB42 peptide without affecting the total amount of AB.  As EVP-0015962 does not affect other gamma secretase substrates required for normal function, such as Notch, it is predicted to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by reducing the disease-associated toxic AB42 species.

In its study, EnVivo was able to show that EVP-0015962 significantly reduced the production of total amyloid load as measured by plaque count, surface area and aggregated AB in the brains of transgenic mice after 12 months of daily oral administration.  In the same model, mice developed deficits in the hippocampal memory task known as contextual fear conditioning.  Chronic dosing with EVP-0015962 reversed these deficits returning the cognitive function to normal levels.  In addition, EVP-0015962 reduced the amount of brain inflammation associated with amyloid plaque buildup in these animals.

These findings demonstrate continued positive effects in transgenic Alzheimer's animals with EVP-0015962.  Given the multiple positive results from this and previous studies, EnVivo is confident it is close to concluding the pre-clinical development process and hopes to begin clinical trials in 2011.