Biotech firm to expand neuro therapy indications for frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s

A Houston-area biotech company will expand indications of its investigational and proprietary biologic combination therapy beyond amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to include frontotemporal dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

According to a release issued by Coya Therapeutics, Coya 302 is a dual-mechanism immunotherapy that combines proprietary low-dose interleukin-2 and fusion protein CTLA-4 Ig, the former enhancing anti-inflammatory Treg function and the latter suppressing proinflammatory cell function. The disease-modifying potential of the novel treatment is triggered by targeting multiple dysregulated immune pathways while restoring function in anti-inflammatory Treg function, per the release.

“Coya 302 has been designed to target multiple pathways, such as restoring dysfunctional Tregs and inhibiting proinflammatory microglia and macrophages, and may have disease-modifying potential in these severe diseases with high unmet need,” Fred Grossman, DO, FAPA, Coya president and chief medical officer, said in the release.

Coya additionally said in the release it intends to file an investigational new drug application for Coya 302 to treat ALS during the first half of this year, then a separate IND to treat frontotemporal dementia before the end of the year.