Aphios spins off Amylon to develop novel Alzheimer’s disease drug

US clinical-stage biotech firm Aphios says it has spun-off a subsidiary, Amylon, to finance, develop and commercialize APH-1104 for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other CNS disorders, for which it says patents are pending.

Amylon is currently raising debt/equity capital from high net worth investors and institutional investors.

“There are three enzymes that appear to be directly involved in the pathophysiology of AD. Current AD research is centered on inhibiting beta (β)-secretase and gamma (γ)-secretase to decrease beta amyloid (Aβ) and the assembly of tau tangles, biochemical ‘signatures’ of AD which are the basis of cognitive decline. To date, all the recent clinical trials to downregulate or inhibit β-secretase or γ-secretase have failed,” comments Trevor Castor, president and chief executive of Aphios, adding: “Our strategy is to up-regulate the third enzyme, alpha (α)-secretase, to eliminate the substrate for Aβ, thereby preventing and reducing plaques and tau entanglement.”