Invex Therapeutics (ASX:IXC) has announced encouraging new findings from its research collaboration with Tessara Therapeutics, showing additional neuroprotective benefits of exenatide in a laboratory model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The new results build on earlier studies using Tessara’s ADBrain model, which previously demonstrated that exenatide significantly improved neuronal cell survival under conditions of oxidative stress and ferroptosis. These are processes associated with neurodegeneration.
In the latest analysis, exenatide was shown to reduce neurofilament light chain (Nf-L) expression by around 40 per cent, a biomarker widely recognised as a measure of neuronal damage. Elevated Nf-L is often detected early in Alzheimer’s disease, and its reduction suggests exenatide could have a role in mitigating early-stage neuronal injury.
The study also found that exenatide decreased the release of key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and IL-8, indicating a potential ability to dampen neuroinflammation, a major driver of Alzheimer’s progression. At higher concentrations, the drug was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in amyloid-beta burden, though researchers cautioned that this result will require further investigation.
While exenatide did not significantly alter phosphorylated tau or glucose metabolism in this model, it did show positive effects on measures of neuronal network health, including increased branching and junction density, even at relatively low doses and short exposure times.
Further gene expression analysis is underway. It will compare the Alzheimer’s model (ADBrain) with healthy tissue (ArtiBrain) to better understand how exenatide may influence pathways related to neuroprotection and synaptic plasticity.
>Invex said the ongoing collaboration with Tessara continues to yield valuable insights into exenatide’s potential beyond its original indication. The drug, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is currently marketed for metabolic disorders but has recently attracted global attention for its possible neuroprotective effects. Two primary Phase 3 clinical trials (EVOLVE and EVOLVE+) are expected to report results later this year, evaluating GLP-1 drugs in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
The company noted, however, that the future of the Tessara collaboration could be affected by the outcome of Invex’s upcoming General Meeting on 10 November 2025, where resolutions have been lodged to remove two directors, David McAuliffe and Thomas Duthy, who currently oversee the Tessara partnership. Invex’s board has urged shareholders to vote against all resolutions, warning that removal of the directors could disrupt the collaboration and threaten the company’s broader research and intellectual property strategy.
“The relationship with Tessara has produced encouraging results and potential new mechanisms of action for Exenatide in Alzheimer’s disease,” the company said in a statement. “It remains in the best interests of Invex to continue advancing this work to generate value from our intellectual property portfolio.”
Invex is developing Exenatide, trademarked as PRESENDIN, for neurological disorders associated with elevated intracranial pressure.