AdVantage Therapeutics said it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $2.5 million from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support its Alzheimer’s drug candidate, AD04, according to the company.
The company claims this non-dilutive funding will help advance AD04 toward clinical validation and regulatory progress. AdVantage notes that the SBIR program is highly competitive and designed to support small businesses developing promising science with commercial potential.
AdVantage highlighted recent published results from an earlier Phase 2 trial of AD04, indicating effects that the company says compared favourably with existing monoclonal Alzheimer’s therapies, while being easier to administer, safer and more cost-effective. It also cites independent statistical validation confirming the results were unlikely due to chance.
AD04 is described by the company as a novel therapeutic for mild Alzheimer’s disease with dual features of symptomatic relief and disease-modification. In prior trials, AD04 reportedly slowed cognitive decline and hippocampal volume loss compared to controls. The company states that AD04’s mechanism involves immunomodulation, gene expression restoration in lipid metabolism, enhanced phagocytosis and reduced inflammation rather than targeting solely amyloid or tau pathology.
AdVantage is preparing to enter confirmatory Phase 2b trials in Europe to assess AD04’s safety and efficacy in early Alzheimer’s patients.
