Benzinga | Jun 8, 2021 10:41AM EDT

Annovis' Alzheimer's/Parkinson's Candidate Protects Nerve Cells Against Ill Effects of Higher Neurotoxic Proteins

* Annovis Bio Inc (NYSE:ANVS) has announced preliminary data demonstrating that ANVS401 protects certain nerve cells from dying after being infected by gingipains, which has a potential role in developing Alzheimer's Disease.

* At the concentration of 1nM gingipain, infected cells were completely protected from the enzyme, while only around 20% of the control cells survived.

* ANVS401 is shown to protect cells from dying from the P. gingivalis protease Rgp at very low concentrations.

* Microglia and neuroblastoma cell lines are not affected as both are quite resistant to gingipains. As expected, since neither is dying, ANVS401 has no impact on the microglia or neuroblastoma survival in the presence of gingipains.

* The company initiated the study last year for neurological injuries due to infections. After this interim data, the company believes the compound could help treat neurological diseases associated with bacterial and viral infections.

* Last month, the company reported that participants treated with ANVS401 for 25 days showed statistically significant cognitive improvement in Alzheimer's patients.

* Price Action: ANVS shares are up 1.65% at $69.81 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.