Anavex Life Sciences reported results of the entire genome DNA and RNA evaluation of study participants in a 57-week Phase 2a Alzheimer's disease study investigating ANAVEX 2-73, a selective sigma-1 receptor agonist, resulting in the analysis of 33,311 genes and 860 pathways. Additionally, direct target occupancy of ANAVEX 2-73 at the sigma-1 receptor using quantitative Positron emission tomography scanning was presented. Several genetic variants that impacted response to ANAVEX 2-73 were identified in the study analysis including the Sigma-1 receptor, the target for ANAVEX 2-73, and the Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene, produced by nerve cells and involved in memory function. Results showed that study participants with SIGMAR1 or COMT variants were less likely to benefit from treatment with ANAVEX 2-73. In the study population, when participants with these variants were excluded, the remaining study participants showed improved scores on gold-standard tests of cognition and activities of daily living. Including participants with milder disease and excluding those with a SIGMAR1 variant resulted in an average improvement of +1.7 MMSE and +3.9 ADCS-ADL at week 57 compared to baseline. The additional exclusion of participants with the COMT variant resulted in a score improvement of +2.0 MMSE and +4.9 ADCS-ADL at week 57 compared to baseline.
