ABMRF Funds Amygdala Neurosciences for ANS-858 Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Amygdala Neurosciences, a private company based in Bel Air, Maryland, and San Francisco, California, has successfully closed a new round of equity financing. This funding effort, led by ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research, aims to support the company’s IND-stage activities for their lead candidate, ANS-858. ABMRF, established in 1982, is a prominent independent non-profit organization in North America that focuses on funding research related to the impacts of alcohol on health and behavior.

Bruce Ambler, Chair of the Board of Trustees at ABMRF, praised Amygdala Neurosciences for its leadership in alcohol research. Ambler highlighted the importance of addressing alcohol craving, a critical component of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), which also includes loss of control and adverse consequences. ANS-858, the company's lead clinical candidate, specifically targets the craving aspect of alcohol misuse.

Alcohol consumption and AUD remain significant issues in the United States. In 2020, more than half of the adult population (54.9%) consumed alcohol, with 27.6 million adult Americans (11%) diagnosed with AUD. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes over 140,000 annual deaths to excessive alcohol use, with the economic impact of AUD estimated at $249 billion. Despite the availability of treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and counseling, only 362,000 patients (1.3%) with AUD receive medication-based treatments, underlining the need for more effective solutions.

Brent Blackburn, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Amygdala Neurosciences, expressed enthusiasm about the investment from ABMRF. He noted that this funding, along with a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), supports the development of ANS-858. This innovative approach is aimed at providing a new anti-craving therapy for AUD and other harmful cravings.

ANS-858 is a novel chemical entity designed to work within the brain’s neural interface between motivation and action, reducing the dopamine surge responsible for craving. The inhibition of ALDH2, an enzyme targeted by ANS-858, has shown promise in reducing craving and drug-seeking behaviors in preclinical studies. This mechanism holds potential for treating not only AUD but also other substance use disorders (SUD), binge-eating, and anxiety related to these conditions. Amygdala Neurosciences is focused on developing ANS-858 as a safe and effective treatment for AUD through its selective and reversible inhibition of ALDH2.

ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research, founded in 1982, is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the biological, behavioral, and social aspects of alcohol consumption. Over the years, it has become the largest independent non-profit foundation in North America exclusively funding alcohol-related research.

Amygdala Neurosciences is committed to developing treatments for harmful cravings associated with addiction and food. The company’s foundation is based on technology discovered and developed by its leadership team during their tenure at CV Therapeutics, later acquired from Gilead Sciences.