ApTOLL: An innovative neuroprotectant to reduce brain damage in Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS)

Stroke is a devastating medical condition affecting 15 million people worldwide yearly, being Ischemic Stroke the most frequent (87%). Indeed, the global cost of stroke is >847b (60b in EU) due to the huge socioeconomic burden of disabilities.

Reperfusion treatment improves outcomes, but only 20% of patients are currently eligible for treatment due to the narrow therapeutic window after stroke symptom onset and stringent selection criteria for eligibility.

Novel therapies - small molecules or biologics - targeting neuroprotection have not achieved enough efficacy to get approved. aptaTargets has successfully developed ApTOLL, an immune modulator and neuroprotectant with a novel approach TO REDUCE BRAIN DAMAGE in AIS patients. aptaTargets ApTOLL drug has a novel approach targeting TLR4 to reduce brain damage in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients (47% reduction of FIV), reduce mortality from 18% to 4% and improve functional outcomes.

Due to the innovative MODE OF ACTION AND NATURE of the molecule (an aptamer), ApTOLL represents a novel and disruptive approach to treating stroke in the first hours after the onset (acute phase), substantially reducing brain damage and improving Quality of Life (QoL) in short and long time.ApTOLL is targeting the Multi-Billion Market of the global Stroke Management Market, valued at 31.7Bn in 2020 and expected to reach 67.7Bn in 2030 (7.8% CAGR).

As a first indication within the scope of this EIC Accelerator proposal, ApTOLL will target AIS patients (87%) who received EVT therapy, expecting to be potentially used as neuroprotectant in all stroke patients, based on preclinical and clinical results. The EIC project aims to conduct the Ph2b trial of ApTOLL and demonstrate its efficacy before entering Ph3.

It will boost our chances of licencing the product to a pharma company, increasing the value of the agreement.