Age‐dependent effects of the p75 neurotrophin receptor modulator LM11A‐31 on Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in a 26‐week safety and exploratory endpoint trial

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) modulates pro‐ and anti‐apoptotic pathways as well as neurite and neuritic spine integrity. This receptor is expressed in cells vulnerable to aging and disease, including basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and hippocampal pyramidal neurons. It is also expressed by glial cells under pathological conditions. Pharmacological modulation of the p75NTR with LM11A‐31 alters both age‐ and disease‐related neuronal dysfunction. For example, LM11A‐31 reverses neuritic pathology in aged mice and reduces amyloid‐induced tau phosphorylation in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this proof‐of‐concept study, we examined the effects of LM11A‐31 treatment on longitudinal neuroimaging and CSF biomarkers in humans with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Based on our preclinical work, we hypothesized that age and disease may interact to predict response to LM11A‐31 treatment in humans. Therefore, we additionally conducted subgroup analyses of drug effect in older and younger individuals.