Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTH) shares dipped Wednesday, as the patient-focused clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced its collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to advance Alzheimer’s disease research through a novel therapeutic strategy. The partnership centers on a recently submitted NIH grant proposal focused on studying HT-ALZ—an FDA-approved NK-1 receptor antagonist—for its potential to reduce neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease
The proposal, titled “Cell Type Specificity of Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists on Cognitive Improvement,” aims to understand the precise neurological mechanisms and cellular targets responsible for the beneficial cognitive effects observed with HT-ALZ.
In preclinical studies conducted at Washington University, chronic oral administration of HT-ALZ significantly improved cognitive functions, reduced anxiety-like behaviors, and decreased astrocyte-driven neuroinflammation in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s. Acute treatment also reduced brain interstitial fluid Aß40 levels by approximately 15% within 20 hours.
CEO Robb Knie commented, “We are proud to support Dr. Yuede and her team at Washington University. This grant application represents a significant milestone in our commitment to understanding NK-1 receptor biology and its role in neurological diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s. We believe that HT-ALZ, with its established safety profile, holds tremendous promise as a therapeutic intervention.”
HOTH shares sank two cents, or 2.5%, to 95 cents.