Alpha Cognition Announces Positive Data from Pre-Clinical Studies and Discovery of GEM Combinations with Potential for Neurodegenerative Disease Treatment

Alpha Cognition Inc. (TSX-V: ACOG) (OTCQB: ACOGF) (“Alpha Cognition” (ACI), or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, is pleased to announce the discovery of two GEM combinations, ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802, and positive preclinical data from each candidate therapy. ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 are Granulin Epithelin Motifs, or GEMs, derived from full length progranulin (PGRN) which have therapeutic potential across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. GEMs have been shown to be important in regulating cell growth, survival, repair, and inflammation. ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 have demonstrated robust results in a recent preclinical study, leading the Company to believe in the future potential of this platform to develop therapeutics to treat a wide array of diseases. These data underscore robust preclinical evidence supporting Alpha Cognition’s approach to treating neurodegenerative disease and highlight the Company’s strategy to validate these data in additional pre-clinical studies.

Denis Kay, the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer, commented: “FTD, ALS, and SMA are devastating diseases with patients in urgent need of effective therapies. Alpha-0702 and ALPHA-0802 are designed to increase relevant subsets of full-length PGRN levels in patients, assist survival of the motor system through the reduction of TDP-43 and FUS pathology, and to deliver this with potentially lower toxicity, and greater therapeutic effect. These benefits have been observed in preclinical studies and strongly support the continued development of both compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.”

Highlights of the positive proof of concept pre-clinical results demonstrated with ALPHA-0702, ALPHA-0802, and ALPHA-0602 include:

• ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 maintained prolonged cell survival and neuronal morphology, with a potency equivalent to, or approaching full length progranulin.
• ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 reduced both mutant and wild type TDP-43 toxicity, with a potency equivalent to, or approaching full length progranulin.
• ALPHA-0602, and both ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 enhanced Cathepsin D maturation suggestive of improved lysosomal function. These effects were seen in induced pluripotent stem cells, derived from patients harboring toxic TDP-43 mutations, that were terminally differentiated into motor neurons. Both therapeutic candidates have the potential to be as effective as full-length progranulin in promoting Cathepsin D maturation, where under conditions of neuronal stress (FTD models) progranulin has been shown to be inappropriately processed.
• Ongoing studies will confirm reduced neuroinflammation and toxicity associated with ALPHA compounds.

“Collectively, these new insights from our preclinical research further support the development of ALPHA-0702 and ALPHA-0802 for the treatment of the neurodegenerative diseases including FTD and ALS,” said Michael McFadden, Alpha Cognition’s Chief Executive Officer. “This represents an important milestone for our company, and we plan to assess the effect of these GEMs with additional pre-clinical trials in our development program.”

About Alpha Cognition Inc.

Alpha Cognition Inc. is a clinical stage, biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), for which there are limited treatment options.

ALPHA-1062, is a patented new chemical entity being developed as a new generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, with expected minimal gastrointestinal side effects. ALPHA-1062's active metabolites is differentiated from donepezil and rivastigmine in that it binds neuronal nicotinic receptors, most notably the alpha-7 subtype, which is known to have a positive effect on cognition. ALPHA-1062 is also being developed in combination with memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia and as an intranasal formulation for traumatic brain injury.

ALPHA-0602 (Progranulin) is expressed in several cell types in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues, promotes cell survival, regulates certain inflammatory processes, and plays a significant role in regulating lysosomal function and microglial responses to disease. Its intended use for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases has been patented by the Company and ALPHA-0602 has been granted an Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of ALS by the FDA.

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Forward-looking Statements

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