9385 NEUROHERV Lund University
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Lunds universitet - Institutionen för experimentell medicinsk vetenskap |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 000 000 |
| Project duration | March 2026 - August 2028 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Eurostars |
Purpose and goal
Alzheimer´s Disease (AD) affects 50 million people worldwide contributing to > €1.1 trillion in healthcare costs. Disease management relies mainly on symptomatic medication with no cure available, therefore, there is an urgent unmet clinical need for new transformative therapies. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may contribute to AD pathology, but remain unexplored as a therapeutic target. In this project we are developing the first immunotherapy against HERVs.
Expected effects and result
Develop candidates for an immunotherapy against HERV that simultaneously removes Tau/Aß protein aggregates to treat and protect against Alzheimer´s disease.
Planned approach and implementation
We will identify HERV sequences in the brains of patients with Alzheimer´s disease, develop immunotherapeutic candidates targeting murine and human ERVs in combination with Tau/Aβ aggregates, and evaluate the effect in mouse models of Alzheimer´s disease that combine Tau/Aβ pathology and metabolic syndrome. By the end of NEUROHERV, we will have developed immunotherapy candidates for GMP/toxicology, hopefully followed by the first clinical studies around 2030.