AT-1501 | ALS Therapy Development Institute

AT-1501 is the first potential ALS treatment to be invented by a nonprofit biotech (the ALS Therapy Development Institute) and make it to human clinical trial.

AT-1501 (antiCD40L) is an antibody therapeutic with comprehensive and promising preclinical data. It blocks specific immune cell activation and protects nerves against the progression of ALS and Alzheimer's disease. AT-1501 successfully completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2019 and is now heading into a Phase 2 study.

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What is AT-1501?

AT-1501 is a novel antibody which acts in a highly targeted, disease-specific way to tamp down the immune system. Invented at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), this potential therapeutic has been screened in more preclinical efficacy experiments than any other compound proposed in the history of the battle to end ALS.

Anelixis Therapeutics, a for-profit clinical stage development company, advanced AT-1501 into clinical trials in 2018. In November 2019, Anelixis announced that they successfully completed Phase 1 studies and are now heading into a Phase 2 clinical trial. Additional information about AT-1501 can be found at Anelixis Therapeutics.

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“AT-1501 is the most effective treatment tested at the ALS Therapy Development Institute.”

- Steve Perrin, Ph.D., CEO at ALS TDI

AT-1501 Funding and Support

Funded by the Community

The charitable support that ALS TDI received from tens of thousands of individuals over the years has been the primary source of funding for the research behind the early discoveries and development of AT-1501.

Thanks to our community members for holding fundraisers, throwing beanbags, toasting Ales for ALS, riding in the Tri-State Trek, donating over and over again, and continually asking friends and family to help.

Additional funding has come from Augie's Quest, ALS Association, ALS Finding a Cure, ALS ONE and the Department of Defense CDMRP, among others.

Let's keep going.

We know that treating, and ultimately curing, ALS will require multiple therapies. The research at ALS TDI is moving faster, but we can't do anything without your help.

Help fund treatments

“I will continue supporting ALS TDI's expanding pipeline of potential treatments knowing now that with their scientists and our support, dreams can become reality.”

- Andrea Peet, diagnosed with ALS in 2014

AT-1501 Timeline

2018

• First in-human clinical trials began following a successful submission of Investigational New Drug application to the FDA.

2017

• Significant progress made in the lyophilization process for the antibody. Lyophilization involves turning drug from liquid form to powder, as powder is more stable.

• Non-human primate studies are conducted and confirm safety of AT-1501.

• Pre-Investigational New Drug application submitted to the FDA.

• A clinical advisory board is formed. Walter Ogier joins Anelixis as Executive Chairman.

2016

• A large scale manufacturing of AT-1501 results in a sufficient yield for clinical trials. A scale up and long-term stability test confirms readiness of material. Early steps are taken to achieve a liquid formulation strategy for the drug.

2015

• Anelixis, ALS TDI and Lonza work together to develop and select a master cell line that will produce AT-1501 for human clinical trials. A successful cell line is found to be sucessful producing high quality quantities of antibody. Master cell line is banked at Lonza.

2014

• Lonza Biologics is named as the manufacturer of AT-1501.

• Settled on final human antibody. Lead cell line selection and safety experiments at Lonza conducted.

2013

• Preclinical studies continue.

• Anelixis Therapeutics, LLC established by ALS TDI to access capital needed to advance AT-1501 (antiCD40L) through clinical trials.

2012

• Preclinical studies continue at ALS TDI. This work required hundreds of additional experiments to understand what AT-1501 treatment does and how best to optimize the drug as a potential treatment for ALS.

2011

• Preclinical mechanism of action and dose ranging studies begin at ALS TDI.

2010

• ALS TDI publishes From transcriptome analysis to therapeutics anti-CD40L treatment in the SOD1 model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Nature Genetics. Work shows preclinical antiCD40L treatment slows down disease progression, improves body weight retention over time and increases overall survival in mouse model.

2009

• ALS TDI begins rigorously testing compounds to regulate the activity of the CD40L pathway.

• Mouse antibodies brought in-house for testing in the SOD1 mouse model.

2008

• ALS TDI discovers a key innate immune system pathway (CD40L) to be over-active and increasing in activity overtime across multiple tissues (spinal cord, muscle and sciatic nerve) related to ALS disease progression.

2007

• ALS TDI conducts world's largest gene expression analysis of the SOD1 mouse model.

Where is AT-1501 Now?

Thanks in large part to the generosity of ALS TDI donors, first in-human clinical trials of AT-1501 started in 2018, sponsored by Anelixis Therapeutics. Anelixis Therapeutics was created by ALS TDI to raise the funding needed to bring AT-1501 through clinical trials and to explore other revenue generating opportunities specifically for the advancement of AT-1501. At this time, ALS TDI remains the majority shareholder of Anelixis Therapeutics.

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