Satori Pharmaceuticals, a company that says it's developing drugs with the potential to actually stop Alzheimer's disease in its early phases -- an unprecedented claim -- landed $22 million in second-round funding to push its products through a first battery of tests.
Based in Cambridge, Mass., the firm has broken away from the usual drugs, like Pfizer's Aricept, that slow the symptoms but don't address the base-level process of the disease. Most of these treatments have honed in on the poisonous plaques that build up in the brain leading to memory loss. But Satori decided to target the illness at an earlier stage, before the plaques even appear. Roughly, its lead compound is designed to inhibit toxic proteins without damaging surrounding brain tissue. The company says it's also working with multiple researchers looking for early diagnostic signals, including traces of certain proteins in the bloodstream.
Of course this is very promising news for the one in eight Americans over age 65 affected. But there are a few hangups -- especially when it comes to safety. For instance, the average Alzheimer's patient is usually in his or her 60s and already taking a variety of medications for blood pressure, diabetes and the like. This means whatever product Satori arrives at will have to take pretty much all potential drug interactions into account. The company has set only a tentative timeline for clinical trials in 2010, but says the treatment has already made it through several tough tests on animals.
Its other big news is the selection of Jeffrey Ives, former senior vice president at Pfizer, as its new chief executive. In his former post, he led teams developing oncology and nervous system treatments.
The recent investment round was co-led by InterWest Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Prospect Venture Partners, and included PureTech Ventures and Satori's founders. It raised $3 million in seed money back in 2005.