Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of Icapamespib, a Selective Epichaperome Inhibitor, in Healthy Adults

Background

Neurodegenerative diseases are devastating conditions that most commonly affect individuals 65 years and older. Currently there are no effective treatments or cures for neurodegenerative diseases, and therapeutics that selectively target the underlying causes of these diseases are needed. Epichaperomes play a major role in the maintenance and progression of neuronal pathology. Inhibiting epichaperomes induces degradation of disease associated proteins and is a promising therapeutic approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s Disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objectives

This Phase 1 clinical study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability of icapamespib, a purine scaffold inhibitor of epichaperomes that is specific to epichaperomes, in healthy subjects.

Design

Double-blind, placebo-controlled dose escalating single ascending dose and multiple ascending doses and an unblinded two-period cross-over bioavailability study design.

Setting

Single site in the United States.

Participants

Healthy men or women of 18 to 60 years of age, inclusive, for Part 1 (single ascending dose), ≥ 60 years of age for Part 2 (multiple ascending dose), or 18 to 49 years of age for Part 3 (bioavailability).

Treatment

In the single ascending dose group, oral single doses (10, 20, and 30 mg icapamespib or placebo) were administered to healthy non-elderly subjects. In the multiple ascending dose group, multiple doses (20 and 30 mg icapamespib once daily for 7 days or placebo) were administered to healthy elderly subjects. In the bioavailability group, the bioavailability of once daily oral icapamespib solution and tablet was assessed in healthy non elderly subjects.

Measurements

Safety was evaluated based on assessments of treatment-emergent adverse events, physical examinations, clinical laboratory tests (hematology, clinical chemistry, and urinalysis), vital signs, and 12-lead electrocardiograms. Icapamespib concentration was evaluated in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, the latter in Part 2 (multiple ascending dose) only.

Results

Forty-eight subjects in total were randomized and assessed for tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability parameters as follows: 24 subjects in Part 1 (single ascending dose) with PU-AD 10 mg (n = 6), 20 mg (n = 6), 30 mg (n = 6), and placebo (n = 6); 16 subjects in Part 2 (multiple ascending dose) with icapamespib 20 mg (n = 6), 30 mg (n = 6), and placebo (n = 4); and 8 subjects in Part 3 (bioavailability) crossed-over between icapamespib 30 mg (tablet) and icapamespib 30 mg (oral solution). Single doses of icapamespib up to 30 mg and multiple doses of icapamespib up to 30 mg for 7 days were generally safe and well tolerated in healthy non-elderly and elderly subjects. Treatment-emergent adverse events were mild, with headache being the most common treatment-emergent adverse event. Mean icapamespib exposure (area under the curve) was dose-proportional over the dose range tested. The median time to maximum observed plasma concentration ranged from 1.00 to 2.00 h across single ascending dose, multiple ascending dose, and bioavailability groups; icapamespib exposure was 50% higher in elderly subjects compared with non-elderly subjects but was well tolerated.

Conclusions

The study provides clinical evidence of the safety of icapamespib in healthy non elderly and elderly subjects and supports the advancement of icapamespib to Phase 2 evaluation in Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Use of a portable CT scanner during resection of subcortical supratentorial astrocytomas of childhood

The development of intraoperative imaging has made it possible to visualize shifting brain structures during surgery, and may allow greater intraoperative discrimination of normal and abnormal tissue. This may provide greater confidence to the neurosurgeon to proceed with a more extensive resection while decreasing postoperative morbidity. We investigated the intraoperative use of a portable CT scanner in the resection of 4 cases of supratentorial, subcortical astrocytomas of childhood to assess its usefulness in determining the endpoint of the dissection. We operated on 4 patients, ages 3-17, with astrocytomas. Three were thalamic, and 1 was based primarily in the caudate nucleus. The approach to the basal ganglia was transcallosal in 3 and transtemporal in 1. Specific observations on the intraoperative use of the portable CT scanner included its overall facility, any additional operative time required, the overall quality of the images, intraoperative decisions made based on the images and problems associated with its use. These observations are presented with a review of intraoperative imaging as it pertains to deep pediatric brain tumors. The CT scanner was helpful in limiting the dissection of the hypothalamic and midbrain regions and in localizing remaining abnormal tissue. The scans allowed informed decisions about leaving margins of the tumor which were adjacent to vital structures, but dit not prove to be a decisive factor in providing a complete resection. The following observations are worth noting: (1) average imaging time was 20 min per scan; (2) the extent and location of residual enhancing tumor was easily identified despite other materials in the surgical bed; (3) air/tissue interfaces limit resolution; (4) tumors retain contrast long enough to obtain multiple scans without additional dye, and (5) the cost profile of a mobile CT scanner is superior to that of a fixed intraoperative CT scanner.

Spontaneous regression of giant arteriovenous fistulae during the perinatal period. Case report

A unique case of spontaneous regression of giant arteriovenous fistulae during infancy is described in this report. A female infant, the product of normal labor and delivery, demonstrated severe ventriculomegaly and an intracranial hemorrhage at birth. Cerebral angiography at 5 days of age revealed several large fistulae fed by the anterior and middle cerebral arteries draining into the deep venous system through a dilated internal cerebral vein and ectatic vein of Galen. Two days following the angiogram, a second intracranial hemorrhage occurred. Active hydrocephalus developed over the next 6 months and was treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunting. When the child was 8 months of age, angiography failed to demonstrate the fistulae. It was postulated that pressure effects from the intracranial hematoma and long-standing intracranial hypertension as well as stenosis in the anomalous venous outflow resulted in vascular stasis, venous thrombosis, and selective arterial occlusion. Hydrocephalus was a result of the compression of the intraventricular foramina by dilated embryonic vessels. This anomaly, predominantly involving the anterior circulation, may be homologous to the vein of Galen aneurysm in the posterior circulation.