The Arctic Mutation, Treatment Innovations, and Early Diagnosis Imperatives in Alzheimer: Lars Lannfelt, MD, PhD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"Emerging treatments are crucial, but it’s vital that patients receive them early in the disease’s progression to maximize benefit."

The discovery of the “Swedish” mutation marked a major scientific milestone, identifying a genetic mutation that causes Alzheimer disease (AD) in a large family, leading to a 3-5-fold increase in amyloid β (Aβ) production. Another significant breakthrough was the identification of the “Arctic” mutation in a family from northern Sweden. This mutation’s pathogenic effect has a tendency to produce toxic, soluble aggregated Aβ protofibrils. Inspired by this finding, Lars Lannfelt, MD, PhD, set out to target Aβ protofibrils with immunotherapy, developing an antibody selective for Aβ protofibrils, dubbed mAb158.

Lannfelt, Md, PhD, cofounder of BioArctic, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, held October 29 to November 1, in Madrid, Spain, for his pioneering work in AD scientific discoveries and drug development. Previously, he was awarded the Bengt Winblad’s prize for increased understanding of the pathogenesis of AD in 2022, the Rudbeck Medal for scientific discoveries at Uppsala University in 2021, the Khalid Iqbql Lifetime Achievement Award in Alzheimer’s Disease Research, and the Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation Grand Research Prize in 2019.

Lannfelt, who also serves as the professor of molecular geriatrics at Uppsala University, sat down with NeurologyLive^® to provide an overview of his keynote presentation titled “Lecanemab: From a Mutation to a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease" that was given earlier during the conference. In the discussion, he further discussed how the “Arctic” mutation contributed to advancements in targeted treatments for AD. He also spoke about the role of early diagnosis in the effeciacy of new AD therapies and how recent innovations might impact future treatment options for patients with the disease.

Click here for more coverage of CTAD 2024.

REFERENCES
1. Lannfelt, L. Lecanemab: From a Mutation to a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. Presented at: 2024 CTAD; October 29-November 1; Madrid, Spain. Keynote.