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GENEVA--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Regulatory News: GeNeuro (Euronext Paris: CH0308403085 - GNRO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on stopping causal factors driving the progression of neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC, Long-COVID or post-COVID), today announced that, as planned in the Study Protocol, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee met to review the unblinded safety and efficacy data of the first 90 patients after three months of treatment. Based on the planned interim analysis of efficacy and safety data, which included an analysis for futility, the IDMC recommended to “continue the trial without any modifications”. The study “Temelimab as a Disease Modifying Therapy in Patients With Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Post-COVID 19 or PASC Syndrome" is a randomized, placebo-controlled, biomarker-based Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the effect of temelimab treatment on the clinical course of these symptoms. This trial enrolled 203 patients in 14 clinical centers in Switzerland, Spain and Italy, who were affected by neurological syndromes post-COVID, and who tested positive to the presence of W-ENV in their blood. W-ENV is suspected to have a major role in the persistence of inflammation and in the neurological symptoms affecting these patients, and temelimab is a highly specific neutralizing anti-W-ENV-antibody. GeNeuro’s precision medicine approach allows to identify, within the millions of patients affected by long-COVID, those for whom the treatment may be relevant. Results are expected in June 2024. About Temelimab The development of temelimab (GNbAC1) is the result of more than 25 years of research into human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), including 15 years within Institut Mérieux and INSERM before GeNeuro was founded in 2006. HERVs have been incorporated into the human genome during the evolution of mankind and typically remain “silent genes”, but may be activated under certain conditions and were found to be involved in the development of auto-immune diseases. The viral envelope protein encoded by the HERV-W family (W-ENV) has been found to be pro-inflammatory and pathogenic to nervous system cells. W-ENV is found in the brains of MS patients, and particularly in active lesions. In two Phase II multiple sclerosis trials Temelimab has shown promising results on MRI features and liquid biomarkers related to neurodegenerative processes such as brain atrophy. Temelimab is a neutralizing anti-W-ENV-antibody; by this capacity it simultaneously blocks inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. Given that W-ENV has no known physiological function, temelimab has demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile in the current study, with no effect on the patient’s immune system, which bears out the profile observed in all clinical trials carried out to date. About GeNeuro GeNeuro‘s mission is to develop safe and effective treatments against neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, by neutralizing causal factors encoded by HERVs, which represent 8% of human DNA. For more information, visit: www.geneuro.com . Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward - looking statements and estimates concerning GeNeuro’s financial condition, operating results, strategy, projects and future performance and the markets in which it operates. Such forward-looking statements and estimates may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “is designed to,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “objective,” “should,” or the negative of these and similar expressions. They incorporate all topics that are not historical facts. Forward looking statements, forecasts and estimates are based on management’s current assumptions and assessment of risks, uncertainties and other factors, known and unknown, which were deemed to be reasonable at the time they were made but which may turn out to be incorrect. Events and outcomes are difficult to predict and depend on factors beyond the Company’s control. Consequently, the actual results, financial condition, performances and/or achievements of GeNeuro or of the industry may turn out to differ materially from the future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by these statements, forecasts and estimates. Owing to these uncertainties, no representation is made as to the correctness or fairness of these forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates speak only as of the date on which they are made, and GeNeuro undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Partnership to combine GeNeuro’s expertise in HERVs with Verily’s Immune Profiler and Workbench platforms to investigate biomarkers related to HERV-W GENEVA, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GeNeuro (Euronext Paris: CH0308403085 - GNRO), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, announced a collaboration with Verily, an Alphabet precision health technology company, to investigate biomarkers related to activation of the proinflammatory HERV-W envelope protein (W-ENV) in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Through this collaboration, GeNeuro will partner with Verily to build on results published earlier this year in Cell Press, which evidenced the in vitro activation of HERV-W by SARS-CoV-2 in susceptible individuals and the correlation between W-ENV protein levels in serum and lymphocytes with COVID-19 severity. “Our research indicates that W-ENV contributes to COVID-19 disease severity and may explain manifestations of long-COVID,” said Dr. Hervé Perron, Chief Scientific Officer of GeNeuro. “This collaboration with Verily advances GeNeuro’s ambitions to treat patients with long-COVID using a personalized medicine approach through biomarker identification of those more likely to present with severe disease.” Verily will provide high-resolution multi-omic data generated from COVID patient samples using Immune Pro Verily’s state-of-the-art immune mapping platform, and high-powered data analysis using Workbench, a secure research environment for governing and analyzing multimodal biomedical data. Both solutions are part of Verily’s broader suite of products built to deliver on the promise of precision health and harness the power of richer, more diverse datasets to accelerate medical research. “We are excited to partner with GeNeuro to advance our shared belief that identification of actionable biomarkers early in disease can advance precision health and save lives,” said Charlie Kim, Head of Molecular Science at Verily. “This could be an important step toward earlier, more targeted interventions for patients with long-COVID.” About GeNeuro GeNeuro‘s mission is to develop safe and effective treatments against neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, by neutralizing causal factors encoded by HERVs, which represent 8% of human DNA. For more information, visit: . About Verily Verily is an Alphabet health technology company focused on research, care, and health financing to deliver on the promise of precision health and help people live healthier lives. We are uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology, data science, and healthcare to create tools to accelerate evidence generation, products to enable more personalized care, and approaches to make costs more predictable. For more information, please visit: verily.com. View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts GeNeuro Jesús Martin-Garcia Chairman and CEO +41 22 552 4800 investors@geneuro.com NewCap (France) Louis-Victor Delouvrier +33 1 44 71 98 52 Arthur Rouillé (media) +33 1 44 71 94 98 geneuro@newcap.eu Verily Steven Cooper Head of Media Relations +1 (646) 358 2765 sjcoop@verily.com Source: GeNeuro View this news release online at:

Genetic remnants of viruses that are naturally present in the human genome could affect the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers come to this conclusion on the basis of studies on cell cultures. Genetic remnants of viruses that are naturally present in the human genome could affect the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers at DZNE come to this conclusion on the basis of studies on cell cultures. They report on this in the journal Nature Communications. In their view, such "endogenous retroviruses" could contribute to the spread of aberrant protein aggregates -- hallmarks of certain dementias -- in the brain. Thus, these viral relicts would be potential targets for therapies. It has been suspected for some time that viral infections contribute to the genesis and development of neurodegenerative diseases. Laboratory studies by DZNE scientists now suggest a mechanism that, although related to viruses, does not require infection by external pathogens. According to this study, the culprits would be "endogenous retroviruses" that are naturally present in the human genome. "During evolution, genes from numerous viruses have accumulated in our DNA. Most of these gene sequences are mutated and normally muted," explained Ina Vorberg, research group leader at DZNE and a professor at the University of Bonn. "However, there is evidence that endogenous retroviruses are activated under certain conditions and contribute to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, proteins or other gene products derived from such retroviruses are found in the blood or tissue of patients." Experiments with Tau Aggregates Vorberg followed this trail together with colleagues from Bonn and Munich. Using cell cultures, the researchers simulated the situation in which human cells produce certain proteins from the envelope of endogenous retroviruses. Specifically, this involved HERV-W and HERV K -- both viruses are present in the human genome but are usually dormant. However, studies indicate that HERV-W is activated in multiple sclerosis and HERV-K in the neurological disease "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (ALS) and in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Now, Vorberg's team found that the viral proteins facilitate the transport of so-called tau aggregates from cell to cell. "Tau aggregates" are tiny protein clumps that occur in the brains of people affected by certain neurodegenerative diseases -- these include Alzheimer's disease and FTD. "Certainly, conditions in the brain are much more complex than our cellular model system can replicate them. Nevertheless, our experiments show that endogenous retroviruses can influence the spread of tau aggregates between cells," Vorberg said. "Endogenous retroviruses would thus not be triggers of neurodegeneration, but could fuel the disease process once it is already underway." Viral Transport Mediators The current research and earlier studies by Vorberg's team suggest that viral proteins serve as transport mediators for tau aggregates because they insert into the cell membrane and into the membrane of so-called extracellular vesicles: These are small fat bubbles that are naturally secreted by cells. "For the transport of tau aggregates from cell to cell, we see two pathways in particular. Transfer between cells that are in direct contact, and transport within vesicles that act as cargo capsules, so to speak, and pass from one cell to another to eventually merge with it," Vorberg explained. "In both scenarios, membranes have to fuse. Proteins from the envelope of viruses can promote this process. That's because many viruses are adapted to fuse with host cells. This happens by means of special proteins that viruses carry on their surfaces. If precisely these proteins are incorporated into the cell membrane and the membrane of extracellular vesicles, it is understandable that the tau aggregates then spread more easily." Starting Points for Therapy In the course of the natural aging process, the regulation of genes can change -- originally "dormant" endogenous retroviruses could be "awakened" as a result. Indeed, the symptoms of most neurodegenerative diseases do not manifest until older age. This raises two conceivable approaches to therapy. "On the one hand, one could try to specifically suppress gene expression, that is, to inactivate the endogenous retroviruses again. That would get to the root of the problem," Vorberg said. "But you could also start elsewhere and try to neutralize the viral proteins -- for example, with antibodies." Searching for Antibodies In the opinion of the researchers, it is likely that dementia patients with tau aggregates carry increased amounts of such antibodies. If it were possible to isolate these and reproduce them using biotechnological methods, it might be possible to develop a passive vaccine. Thus, in collaboration with DZNE colleagues in Berlin and Bonn, Vorberg's team aims to specifically search for such antibodies in patients. In addition, the scientists are considering antiviral drugs. In cell culture, they have already found that such agents can actually stop the spread of protein aggregates. "This is another approach we intend to pursue," said Vorberg.