Key points from article :
AbbVie, a major player in the pharmaceutical industry, has announced its acquisition of Aliada Therapeutics, a biotech company specializing in neurodegeneration, for $1.4 billion. This deal brings AbbVie control over Aliada’s groundbreaking drug candidate, ALIA-1758, a promising therapy aimed at Alzheimer’s disease. ALIA-1758 is notable for its unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a typically challenging obstacle for CNS treatments, allowing it to directly target and potentially reduce harmful amyloid plaques linked to Alzheimer’s pathology. Currently, the drug is in an early-phase trial to assess its safety and tolerability.
Aliada’s approach involves a novel platform, known as MODEL, which uses the transferrin receptor (TfR) to guide therapeutic molecules like ALIA-1758 across the BBB. By attaching to receptors on brain cells, this mechanism could allow ALIA-1758 and future treatments to effectively reach the brain, offering a significant edge over other Alzheimer’s drugs. The MODEL platform can also incorporate other delivery methods, such as CD98 binders, enabling a wide range of therapies for neurological diseases.
Beyond Alzheimer’s, AbbVie sees broad potential in Aliada’s platform to open doors for new treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. AbbVie’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Roopal Thakkar, expressed optimism that the acquisition would expand their ability to deliver next-generation CNS therapies. Founded in 2021, Aliada has received strong backing from notable investors, including Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Sanofi Ventures, with the acquisition expected to finalize in late 2024.
