Alzprotect develops drug candidates for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Alzprotect is a biopharmaceutical company that develops drug candidates, from their discovery to clinical trials, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and tauopathies such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
Alzprotect has developed specific global-level expertise in tauopathies, where neuronal degeneration is a consequence of an abnormal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated Tau proteins combined to neuroinflammation: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Their expertise led to the discovery of several molecules with novel mechanisms of action, such as AZP2006 that shows potent and promising effects to control neurodegeneration.
Company history
Alzprotect was founded in 2007 by Prof. André Delacourte, PhD, a pioneer in the molecular characterization of neurodegenerative diseases (tauopathies, amyloidopathies, and synucleinopathies), and Prof. Patricia Melnyk, PhD, an expert in medicinal chemistry. The company was first established at the Jean-Pierre Aubert Institute in Lille, France.
The initial research strategy explored the potential of antimalarial molecules to redirect amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing toward non-amyloidogenic pathways. From this work, AZP2006 was identified in 2010 as the lead candidate after screening several hundred compounds under industry standards.
Preclinical studies conducted between 2010 and 2011 revealed that AZP2006 could significantly reduce Tau hyperphosphorylation in the Thy-Tau22 mouse model, leading the company to advance its development for tauopathies, with a focus on Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
Toxicology studies performed under GLP enabled the first human administration of AZP2006 in 2014 (Phase 1 SAD study). The program was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the EMA in 2015 and the FDA in 2017. In parallel, the compound’s novel mechanism of action—targeting lysosomal function through modulation of prosaposin and progranulin—was elucidated.
Following a favorable food-effect Phase 1 study in 2018, a Phase 2a clinical trial in PSP was launched in 2020, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was completed in 2022 with encouraging results, showing the first signs of clinical efficacy. At the request of both patients and clinicians, an open-label extension study was conducted, running through 2024. Its results confirmed and reinforced the initial clinical benefits observed in Phase 2a.