Clene announces peer-reviewed publication on CNM-Au8 brain target

Clene Inc and its wholly owned subsidiary Clene Nanomedicine announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article describing brain target engagement by CNM-Au8, the company’s lead drug candidate. CNM-Au8 is an orally-delivered suspension of clean-surfaced, catalytically-active gold nanocrystals shown to have neuroprotective and neuroreparative properties in multiple preclinical models of neurodegenerative disease. The paper, entitled, “Evidence of Brain Target Engagement in Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis by the Investigational Nanomedicine, CNM-Au8, in the REPAIR Phase 2 Clinical Trials,” was published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology, a Springer Nature journal that communicates significant advances in the fields of medicine and biology with an emphasis in their interface with nanoscale sciences. Co-authored by physician scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Clene, the publication describes results from two Phase 2a clinical trials, REPAIR-PD and REPAIR-MS. Key brain metabolites, such as NAD+ and NADH, that are involved in neuronal energy production, utilization, and maintenance, were measured for changes from baseline with daily, oral treatment of CNM-Au8 over 12 weeks. The studies’ primary endpoint, the change in brain ratio of the metabolites NAD+ to NADH from baseline, was met with statistical significance by a demonstrated 10.4% increase. Statistically significant treatment effects were also observed for secondary and exploratory imaging outcomes, including favorable effects on brain ATP levels and phosphorylation potential across both cohorts.