A stroke drug soon to enter Phase III clinical trials for FDA approval in the US may also be a safe and effective against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
The drug, 3K3A-APC, protected mice from injury to the brain’s white matter in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Subcortical white matter strokes account for 25 per cent of all strokes and are the second leading cause of dementia in humans.
The injuries occur when tiny clots stem the flow of blood to the white matter, leading to multiple mini-strokes and cognitive decline.
“The results suggest the drug’s potential for treating white matter strokes in humans, possibly including multiple white matter strokes that result in vascular dementia,” said senior author Berislav Zlokovic, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
The drug could be used in patients who have suffered multiple white matter injuries that have worsened over time in order to slow cognitive impairment, the researchers added.
A previous rodent study showed that the drug improved blood flow, boosted the health of brain vessels, reduced inflammation and reduced the build-up of amyloid.
This protein is commonly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The drug appeared safe in a 2019 Phase II clinical trial for ischemic stroke patients who also received a clot-dissolving drug or had a clot removed in surgery.
3K3A-APC reduced brain bleeding in humans, as had been demonstrated in mouse models.
The Phase III trial is scheduled to take place in 2022.
Zlokovic said: “Our recent and current data support development of 3K3A-APC for neurological conditions associated with cognitive dysfunction such as Alzheimer’s disease and injury to the brain’s white matter that results in vascular dementia.”
