Therapy against heart disease

Neurimmune AG has presented initial data from its research into an antibody to treat and remove transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) deposits in the human heart. According to a press release, the article published in the renowned trade journal “Nature Communications” focused on the human antibody NI006,  a monoclonal antibody that binds to disease-associated aggregated forms of ATTR in targeted fashion. According to the press release, the antibody was able to efficiently remove ATTR deposits from the cardiac tissue of patients.

ATTR cardiomyopathy is a debilitating disease that can lead to heart failure and death, Neurimmune explains in the press release. Extracellular myocardial ATTR deposits, or more simply deposits that amass in the tissue of the heart muscle, can accumulate in massive amounts, which in turn impacts the mechanical properties of the heart muscle. NI006 removes these deposits with the help of the immune system by using phagocytic immune cells to target and break down ATTR deposits. Phagocytic cells engulf foreign particles such as bacteria or dead body cells via a process known as phagocytosis.

Jan Grimm, Chief Scientific Officer of Neurimmune, sees a “scientific basis for the development of NI006 as a potential treatment for patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy” in the results. Reducing the myocardial ATTR load represents a therapeutic objective that is “anticipated to translate into restored cardiac function”.

Neurimmune is a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH). Among other things, the company develops therapeutics for the central nervous system and to combat protein aggregation diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.