Cognito Therapeutics has enrolled the first patient in its U.S. pivotal study (HOPE), designed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of its proprietary non-invasive stimulation device CogTx-001 in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease.

“The HOPE study offers a rare opportunity for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease to participate in a research study utilizing technology as an intervention,” said Michelle Papka, Ph.D., director and founder of The Cognitive and Research Center of New Jersey. “Patients and their family members have expressed great interest in enrolling in this study because it is non-invasive and represents a novel and safe approach to potentially slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”
 
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that more than 6 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Currently there are only a few U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications that may help manage symptoms, but none are able to significantly slow or stop disease progression. 
 
The HOPE Study for Alzheimer’s Disease evaluates a novel wearable device developed by Cognito Therapeutics, with the potential to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, without the safety concerns associated with medications or highly invasive procedures. In the blinded sham-controlled study, 400 patients with Alzheimer’s disease will use Cognito’s proprietary non-invasive wearable device at home on a daily basis for 12 months.
 
Cognito’s device has been evaluated in multiple clinical studies for safely and effectively delivering specific frequencies of targeted light and sound-based stimulation. In the OVERTURE study, patients using the Cognito wearable device reported a reduction in disease progression by 83% as measured by the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and 78% as measured by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL). A significant reduction of brain atrophy and preservation of white matter was also reported in patients using the Cognito device over a six-month period.
 
The 12-month HOPE study is designed to build upon the success of the OVERTURE study by demonstrating both slowing of disease progression as measured by the primary endpoints of the ADCS-ADL and a combined statistical test (CST) of the ADCS-ADL and the MMSE as well as slowing of brain atrophy as measured by MRI. The study is also designed to include assessment of secondary endpoints including change from baseline in the Clinical Dementia Rating – Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB).
 
“Our first patient enrollment in the HOPE pivotal study is a key milestone for Cognito, as we advance our non-invasive, disease-modifying therapeutic platform for the treatment of Alzheimer’s patients,” Cognito Therapeutics CEO Brent Vaughan stated. “It is a hopeful time for patients and families living with Alzheimer’s with multiple new treatments in late-stage development for this intractable disease. Our HOPE study is designed to potentially offer patients a safe approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease by slowing both decline in brain function and brain atrophy—both hallmarks of Alzheimer’s progression. We look forward to bringing a new option for Alzheimer’s patients and families in desperate need of new therapies and believe our novel approach will enable more combinations of therapies to better treat this disease.”
 
Cognito’s device is limited by United States law to investigational use only and is not available for sale. 
 
Cognito Therapeutics is advancing the field of neuromodulation by pioneering non-invasive sensory stimulation therapy that improves the lives of patients living with neurodegenerative diseases. Since 2016, the company has been developing optogenetics-based disease-modifying solutions utilizing proprietary light and sound stimulation that have shown to preserve cognition and brain structure by slowing white matter loss seen with Alzheimer’s Disease. The company’s lead neuromodulation system has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation. Cognito Therapeutics is based in Cambridge, Mass. 

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