Pittsburgh, Jan. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage neuroscience company developing drugs that treat neurodegenerative disorders by regulating cellular damage response pathways, today announced that President and CEO Lisa Ricciardi is participating in the Biotech Showcase™ 2021 conference and providing an on-demand company presentation. In addition, Ms. Ricciardi will be participating in numerous one-on-one meetings during the week of the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, January 11-14, 2021.

During her presentation, Ms. Ricciardi discusses Cognition’s clinical status in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders as well as anticipated milestones for 2021. She explains, “Cognition’s historic focus has been unlocking the biological drivers of Alzheimer’s disease in order to develop new, disease-modifying treatment options. Beyond Alzheimer’s disease, we have generated intriguing preclinical results in Parkinson’s disease and developed a plan to reach proof-of-concept in neuro-ophthalmology diseases including dry AMD in 2023. We believe our current clinical programs, the breadth of our pipeline and the depth of our management team puts us in a leadership position among neurological drug-development companies.”

2020 Accomplishments

  • Non-Dilutive Funding: In June 2020, Cognition received an $80 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support a 540-patient study of CT1812, Cognition’s lead candidate for Alzheimer’s disease, in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC). This grant brings the total amount of non-dilutive grant funding raised by the company to $117 million.
  • Innovative Biomarkers: Cognition and the Amsterdam University Medical Center (VUmc) initiated a study in which 16 adults with Alzheimer’s disease would be assessed with quantitative EEG (qEEG) following administration of CT1812 or placebo. Detecting a difference in the brain’s electrical activity of patients treated with CT1812 versus placebo would provide additional evidence of the drug’s activity.
  • Genetic Support for CT1812: Cognition was selected for a prestigious late-breaking presentation at the 13th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) virtual meeting on the company’s work to understand the mechanisms by which the A673T “Icelandic” mutation confers protection against the development of Alzheimer’s. Findings were also published in October 2020 in the Journal of Neurochemistry (doi:10.1111/jnc.15212). CT1812 mimics the major effect of this mutation, providing valuable genetic support for the candidate’s mechanism of action.
  • Board Expertise: Throughout 2020, Cognition enhanced its board of directors through the appointment of Jack Khattar and Brett Monia, Ph.D., leaders in the biotechnology industry and experts in neuroscience drug development and commercialization.  

2021 Goals

  • Pipeline Expansion: Beyond Alzheimer’s disease, our evolving understanding of the science of σ-2 has led us to expand our pipeline to potential treatments for neuro-ophthalmology diseases including dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD) and geographic atrophy. Provided that we have adequate resources, Cognition intends to conduct a Phase 2 study that could yield proof-of-concept biomarker and efficacy findings.  
  • Quantify Synaptic Density: Results are expected from SPARC (COG0105), a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing changes in synaptic density in Alzheimer’s disease patients treated with CT1812 or placebo once daily for at least 24 weeks, up to one year. Synaptic density is being assessed using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with a tracer (UCB-J) selective for synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A), a membrane protein expressed in the majority of synapses. This was the first longitudinal study conducted with this imaging agent.
  • Collaborating with Alzheimer’s Consortium: Cognition will advance the aforementioned 540-person Phase 2 COG0203 study of CT1812 in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC), an NIH-funded clinical trial network of 35 leading academic sites with expertise in clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease. We believe that this study could provide important insight into the effects of long-term administration of CT1812.
  • Advancing the Science: Cognition remains committed to advancing the scientific understanding of the σ-2 receptor, especially as it pertains to regulating mechanisms such as autophagy. In 2021, the company is hosting for the fifth time, the International Symposium on sigma-2 Receptors: Role in Health and Disease. This event draws scientists from around the globe to present new evidence and engage in active discourse about future research directions. More information may be found on the company’s Events webpage.
  • Publications and Presentations: Several publications, including early results in a model of Parkinson’s disease, have been accepted for publication. In addition, we have plans to submit our preclinical dry AMD findings and clinical strategy to one or more medical meetings. As they are published, these articles will be made available on the company’s Publications webpage.

Ms. Ricciardi concluded, “We believe our management team has the scientific expertise necessary to target CNS and other indications in potentially significant markets. We believe 2021 has a number of key inflection points for the company and look forward to continuing our growth as a company.”

About Biotech Showcase
Biotech Showcase, produced by Demy-Colton and EBD Group, is an investor conference focused on driving advances in therapeutic development by providing a sophisticated networking platform for executives and investors that fosters investment and partnership opportunities. The conference takes place each year during the course of one of the industry's largest gatherings and busiest weeks.

About Cognition Therapeutics, Inc.
Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. has discovered and is developing a pipeline of novel, disease-modifying, oral drug candidates to treat a broad array of neurodegenerative and neuro-ophthalmic disorders. Our pipeline compounds uniquely target the σ-2 receptor, a key regulator of the cellular damage response. CT1812, our lead product candidate, is being assessed in a comprehensive clinical program for Alzheimer’s disease, including a 540-person Phase 2 study in collaboration with ACTC and supported by a competitive grant from the National Institute on Aging. Additional information about Cognition and its product candidates may be found online at www.cogrx.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statement, including those concerning the development and commercialization of Cognition Therapeutics’ product candidates and pipeline, their potential benefits and the Company’s expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on information that is available as of date of this press release, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any such statements.

This press release contains references to CT1812, an investigational product. Use of CT1812 has not been approved by the FDA.

Contact Information:
Cognition Therapeutics, Inc.
info@cogrx.com

Aline Sherwood
Scienta Communications
asherwood@scientapr.com