Sunbird Bio Presents Latest Data Reinforcing Significance of Blood-Based Tau Biomarkers in the Accurate Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
2024年7月28日 - 9:30PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
– Sunbird’s proprietary blood-based diagnostic
approach classified tau-PET positive blood samples with a
correlation of 92% to gold standard PET scans –
– Results shared at the Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference® (AAIC®) –
Sunbird Bio, a biotechnology company developing proprietary
blood-based technologies to improve diagnosis and treatment of
neurological disorders and early-stage cancer, today announced new
data demonstrating that the company’s proprietary blood-biomarker
tau signatures have the potential to accurately detect tau
aggregation in the brain from a simple blood draw. Results from the
study, which will be shared in a poster presentation (#88533) on
Tuesday, July 30 at the Alzheimer’s Association International
Conference® (AAIC®), suggest that Sunbird’s technology could
provide blood-based Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis equivalent to the
gold-standard positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
Alzheimer's disease is marked by the accumulation of misfolded
and aggregated proteins in the brain, notably amyloid beta (Aβ) and
tau, leading to cognitive decline. In Alzheimer's, tau becomes
hyperphosphorylated, misfolding and forming tangles within neurons,
disrupting their function and contributing to their degeneration.
When aggregated tau proteins bind to nanoscale extracellular
vesicles (EVs) in the brain, scarce levels are able to pass through
the blood-brain barrier into the bloodstream. These EV-bound
particles are difficult for most blood tests to accurately
detect.
“Our research continues to reveal the power of EV-bound proteins
to serve as accurate biomarkers in the detection of neurological
disorders, and the data we are presenting at AAIC underscore the
promising potential of our blood-based diagnostic to directly
detect Alzheimer’s disease via these particular tau proteins,” said
John McDonough, executive chairman and CEO of Sunbird Bio. “With a
correlation of 92% to the gold standard PET scan, these data
provide further evidence that our proprietary approach may deliver
a diagnostic that improves patient outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease
and other neurological disorders. We will continue to evaluate this
platform, which could provide researchers and physicians with
unparalleled insights not readily available from current
tests.”
The Sunbird Bio study being shared at AAIC 2024 evaluated the
potential of EV-bound tau and phosphorylated tau (pTau) proteins in
the blood as a method of directly detecting tau aggregation in the
brain. Researchers prospectively collected blood samples from 10
individuals who were tau-PET positive, as well as from 22
age-matched healthy individuals, at four global sites. They then
used Sunbird Bio’s proprietary tau assays to distinguish between
EV-bound and unbound soluble forms of tau in plasma. Results
suggest that a signature composed of unbound soluble tau was unable
to classify PET-positive samples, while a signature composed of
blood-based brain EV-bound tau and pTau accurately classified
tau-PET positive samples with an area under the curve (AUC) of
0.92. These findings suggest that Sunbird Bio’s proprietary
blood-biomarker signatures, consisting of multiple forms of tau
bound to specific types of brain-derived EVs, have the potential to
accurately and directly detect tau aggregation in the brain via a
blood test.
“Understanding about the various protein biomarkers involved in
the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological
disorders is growing rapidly, and we are proud that our blood-based
diagnostic panel is at the forefront of this promising area of
discovery,” said Nicholas Ho, Ph.D., co-founder and director,
innovation of Sunbird Bio. “In particular, our team is leading the
way in the exploration of EV-bound proteins and their ability to
transmit critical insights from the brain that allow us to directly
detect in blood the existence of protein aggregation and therefore,
the presence of disease. We will continue to investigate the
applications of this increasingly important biomarker, among
others, that offers a direct window into the pathological processes
that occur in the brain to improve diagnosis and treatment.”
Sunbird Bio’s blood-based diagnostic platform is designed to
overcome the limitations of PET, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based
tests and other blood-based diagnostics, which have drawbacks that
limit their usefulness in drug development, disease detection,
disease monitoring and personalized treatment selection. This
first-of-its-kind technology uses a proprietary sensor platform and
optical amplification to directly detect and measure very low
concentrations of EV-bound, aggregated proteins in blood. The
company plans to initiate a larger clinical study to further
validate its tau blood-biomarker signatures and has an active
pipeline that includes blood-based tests for Aβ, tau, alpha
synuclein (α-synuclein), TDP-43 and other biomarkers for
neurological diseases.
Sunbird Bio is actively securing partnerships with biopharma
companies and others to accelerate the development of its
blood-based diagnostic platform and conduct clinical studies; use
cases include longitudinal monitoring, patient stratification and
target engagement.
About Sunbird Bio Sunbird Bio is a biotechnology company
developing proprietary blood-based diagnostic tests that provide
unprecedented insights to enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis
and treatment of neurological disorders and early-stage cancer.
Sunbird’s innovative technologies uniquely detect the property and
activity of proteins to empower researchers and clinicians with
actionable information that is not available or accessible from
current tests. Sunbird Bio’s unparalleled leadership in blood-based
diagnostics positions the company to become a global leader in the
field, addressing significant research and clinical gaps, and
serving multiple, sizable markets. For more information, please
visit sunbirdbio.com.
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Media Laura Morgan Sam Brown, Inc. 951.333.9110
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