Book contents
- Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Section 1 Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Therapies in a Collaborative Science Ecosystem
- Section 2 Non-clinical Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease Candidate Drugs
- Section 3 Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials
- Section 4 Imaging and Biomarker Development in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery
- Section 5 Academic Drug-Development Programs
- Section 6 Public–Private Partnerships in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Section 7 Funding and Financing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 41 Financing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 42 Valley of Death and the Role of Venture Philanthropy in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 43 Alzheimer’s Association Funding and Policy for Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 44 The Role of Philanthropy in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutic Development
- 45 National Institute on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Translational Research Program: Diversifying the Drug-Development Pipeline for the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
- 46 Alzheimer ’s Disease Drug Discovery and the Evolution of Start-Up Biotechnology Companies: Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. as a Case Study
- 47 Introduction to Venture Capital in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 48 Federal Small Business Support for Small Businesses Pursuing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Index
- References
42 - Valley of Death and the Role of Venture Philanthropy in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
from Section 7 - Funding and Financing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 March 2022
Book contents
- Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Section 1 Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Therapies in a Collaborative Science Ecosystem
- Section 2 Non-clinical Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease Candidate Drugs
- Section 3 Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials
- Section 4 Imaging and Biomarker Development in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery
- Section 5 Academic Drug-Development Programs
- Section 6 Public–Private Partnerships in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Section 7 Funding and Financing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 41 Financing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 42 Valley of Death and the Role of Venture Philanthropy in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 43 Alzheimer’s Association Funding and Policy for Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 44 The Role of Philanthropy in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutic Development
- 45 National Institute on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Translational Research Program: Diversifying the Drug-Development Pipeline for the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
- 46 Alzheimer ’s Disease Drug Discovery and the Evolution of Start-Up Biotechnology Companies: Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. as a Case Study
- 47 Introduction to Venture Capital in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- 48 Federal Small Business Support for Small Businesses Pursuing Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Development
- Index
- References
Summary
There is currently just one disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Increasingly, AD R&D is being performed by academic groups and early-stage biotech companies. Many of these programs stall in the “valley of death”, due to insufficient funding, expertise, and tools required to develop and commercialize drugs. To bridge this gap, the venture philanthropy model has emerged as a complimentary driver of translational research amongst public and private funders. Venture philanthropy combines deep disease-focused expertise and networks, with funding in high-risk/high-reward drug programs. Funding is structured to enable returns on investment, which are reinvested into further drug development projects. Venture philanthropies have contributed to advancing more preclinical AD candidates into clinical trials and helping academic and early-stage biotech programs reach critical scientific and business milestones. With recent examples of successful returns on investment, more capital is available to feed the AD therapeutic pipeline, expand clinical trials, and develop biomarkers to support these programs.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Alzheimer's Disease Drug DevelopmentResearch and Development Ecosystem, pp. 480 - 485Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
References
Prince, MJ, Wimo, A, Guerchet, MM, et al. World Alzheimer Report 2015: the global impact of dementia: an analysis of prevalence, incidence, cost and trends. Available at: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/world-alzheimer-report-2015--the-global-impact-of-dementia(ae525fda-1938-4892-8daa-a2222a672254)/export.html (accessed November 23, 2020).Google Scholar
Seyhan, AA. Lost in translation: the valley of death across preclinical and clinical divide – identification of problems and overcoming obstacles. Transl Med Commun 2019; 4: 18.Google Scholar
DiMasi, JA, Grabowski, HG, Hansen, RW. Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: new estimates of R&D costs. J Health Econ 2016; 47: 20–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cummings, JL, Morstorf, T, Zhong, K. Alzheimer’s disease drug-development pipeline: few candidates, frequent failures. Alzheimers Res Ther 2014; 6: 37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choi, DW, Armitage, R, Brady, LS, et al. Medicines for the mind: policy-based “pull” incentives for creating breakthrough CNS drugs. Neuron 2014; 84: 554–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finkbeiner, S. Bridging the valley of death of therapeutics for neurodegeneration. Nat Med 2010; 16: 1227–32.Google Scholar
Cummings, J, Reiber, C, Kumar, P. The price of progress: funding and financing Alzheimer’s disease drug development. Alzheimers Dement (N Y) 2018; 4: 330–43.Google Scholar
Thomas, D, Wessel, C. The state of innovation in highly prevalent chronic diseases. Volume IV: Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics. Available at: http://go.bio.org/rs/490-EHZ-999/images/BIO_HPCD4_ALZHEIMERS.pdf (accessed November 23, 2020).Google Scholar
Cummings, J, Lee, G, Mortsdorf, T, Ritter, A, Zhong, K. Alzheimer’s disease drug development pipeline: 2017. Alzheimers Dement (N Y) 2017; 3: 367–84.Google Scholar
Hanson, SL, Nadig, L, Altevogt, BM, et al. Workshop on venture philanthropy strategies to support translational Research Planning Committee. In Venture Philanthropy Strategies to Support Translational Research: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2009: 59–68.Google Scholar
Lopez, JC, Suojanen, C. Harnessing venture philanthropy to accelerate medical progress. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2019; 18: 809–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Esther Kim, AWL. Venture philanthropy: a case study of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, April 2019. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3376673 (accessed November 23, 2020).Google Scholar
Kerem, B, Rommens, JM, Buchanan, JA, et al. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: genetic analysis. Science 1989; 245: 1073–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riordan, JR, Rommens, JM, Kerem, B, et al. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: cloning and characterization of complementary DNA. Science 1989; 245: 1066–73.Google Scholar
Rommens, JM, Iannuzzi, MC, Kerem, B, et al. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: chromosome walking and jumping. Science 1989; 245: 1059–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sloane, PA, Rowe, SM. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein repair as a therapeutic strategy in cystic fibrosis. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2010; 16: 591–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Senior, M. Foundation receives $3.3-billion windfall for Kalydeco. Nat Biotechnol 2015; 33: 8–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perkins, LM, Young, AQ, Giusti, K. One foundation’s strategy to accelerate drug discovery through genomics. Sci Transl Med 2011; 3: 78cm11.Google Scholar
Ramsey, BW, Nepom, GT, Lonial, S. Academic, foundation, and industry collaboration in finding new therapies. N Engl J Med 2017; 376: 1762–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orelli, B. JDRF teams with VC PureTech to promote startups. Nat Biotechnol 2013; 31: 1065.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. 2018 Alzheimer’s clinical trials report. Available at: www.alzdiscovery.org/research-and-grants/clinical-trials-report/2018-report (accessed November 23, 2020).Google Scholar
Hara, Y, McKeehan, N, Fillit, HM. Translating the biology of aging into novel therapeutics for Alzheimer disease. Neurology 2019; 92: 84–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lo, AW, Ho, C, Cummings, J, Kosik, KS. Parallel discovery of Alzheimer’s therapeutics. Sci Transl Med 2014; 6: 241cm245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shineman, DW, Alam, J, Anderson, M, et al. Overcoming obstacles to repurposing for neurodegenerative disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2014; 1: 512–18.Google Scholar
Yang, L, Rieves, D, Ganley, C. Brain amyloid imaging: FDA approval of florbetapir F18 injection. N Engl J Med 2012; 367: 885–7.Google Scholar
Honig, LS, Vellas, B, Woodward, M, et al. Trial of solanezumab for mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med 2018; 378: 321–30.Google Scholar
Sevigny, J, Chiao, P, Bussiere, T, et al. The antibody aducanumab reduces Abeta plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Nature 2016; 537: 50–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conley, AK, Blackford, J, Rook, J, et al. Functional activity of the muscarinic positive allosteric modulator VU319 during a Phase 1 single ascending dose study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2020; 28: S114–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Acadia Pharmaceuticals and Vanderbilt University. Acadia Pharmaceuticals and Vanderbilt University announce exclusive license agreement and research collaboration [press release]. Available at: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200507005980/en/ACADIA-Pharmaceuticals-and-Vanderbilt-University-Announce-Exclusive-License-Agreement-and-Research-Collaboration (accessed November 23, 2020).Google Scholar
Shineman, DW, Basi, GS, Bizon, JL, et al. Accelerating drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease: best practices for preclinical animal studies. Alzheimers Res Ther 2011; 3: 28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lane, RF, Friedman, LG, Keith, C, et al. Optimizing the use of CROs by academia and small companies. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2013; 12: 487–8.Google Scholar