Novel Vaccine against Pathological Pyroglutamate-Modified Amyloid Beta for Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease

Post-translationally modified N-terminally truncated amyloid beta peptide with a cyclized form of glutamate at position 3 (pE(3)A & beta;) is a highly pathogenic molecule with increased neurotoxicity and propensity for aggregation. In the brains of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) cases, pE(3)A & beta; represents a major constituent of the amyloid plaque. The data show that pE(3)A & beta; formation is increased at early pre-symptomatic disease stages, while tau phosphorylation and aggregation mostly occur at later stages of the disease. This suggests that pE(3)A & beta; accumulation may be an early event in the disease pathogenesis and can be prophylactically targeted to prevent the onset of AD. The vaccine (AV-1986R/A) was generated by chemically conjugating the pE(3)A & beta;(3-11) fragment to our universal immunogenic vaccine platform MultiTEP, then formulated in Advax(CpG) adjuvant. AV-1986R/A showed high immunogenicity and selectivity, with endpoint titers in the range of 10(5)-10(6) against pE(3)A & beta; and 10(3)-10(4) against the full-sized peptide in the 5XFAD AD mouse model. The vaccination showed efficient clearance of the pathology, including non-pyroglutamate-modified plaques, from the mice brains. AV-1986R/A is a novel promising candidate for the immunoprevention of AD. It is the first late preclinical candidate which selectively targets a pathology-specific form of amyloid with minimal immunoreactivity against the full-size peptide. Successful translation into clinic may offer a new avenue for the prevention of AD via vaccination of cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of disease.