Cognito Therapeutics and Aetion Announce Partnership to Use Artificial Intelligence to Identify Rapidly Progressing Forms of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

Collaboration aims to develop a first-in-class predictive model to help payers and providers identify individuals at an increased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#AI--Cognito Therapeutics, a pioneer in developing disease-modifying therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases, and Aetion, a global real-world evidence (RWE) technology and analytics provider, today announced a strategic partnership to develop a validated predictive model to identify patients with rapidly progressing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease.

There are approximately 13.5 million adults over the age of 65 living with MCI in the United States, and approximately 16% of MCI patients convert to Alzheimer’s each year. MCI represents the top contributor to Alzheimer's prevalence, which currently costs the US healthcare system $305 billion per year.

This first-in-class predictive model would accelerate clinical development for Cognito's late-stage clinical program in mild-to-moderate MCI and Alzheimer’s disease by identifying patients who may benefit from treatment earlier. The model, built on claims from five million commercial and Medicare lives, will enable population-level risk and cost assessments for payers and integrated health systems, clinical study population, enrichment, and, upon market availability, support deployment of Cognito's intervention to patients who are at the highest risk of rapid disease state progression.

Aetion is a recognized global leader in transforming real-world data into RWE and in predictive analytics and health economic modeling. Aetion is championing the expansion of RWE in medical devices, diagnostics, and digital therapeutics.

“We are proud to partner with Cognito Therapeutics, who are developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases,” said Carolyn Magill, CEO, Aetion. “We are committed to addressing the unmet medical needs of patients with MCI, who are in urgent need of clinically proven, safe, and affordable therapies.”

“Aetion is a leader in turning real-world data into RWE to inform critical decision-making across product development, reimbursement, and commercialization,” said Brent Vaughan, CEO, Cognito Therapeutics. “Our partnership with Aetion to develop an innovative model will accelerate our late-stage clinical programs and bring our therapy to the millions of patients living with MCI and Alzheimer’s disease, where safer options are still needed.”

Cognito will launch a multi-study late-stage clinical program evaluating its disease-modifying optogenetics-based therapeutic in patients with MCI and mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease this year.

About Cognito Therapeutics

Cognito Therapeutics is a pioneer in disease-modifying therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases and human cognitive performance. The company has completed multiple clinical studies demonstrating its investigational therapeutic platform has the potential to safely slow or stop cognitive decline and loss of brain volume in Alzheimer’s disease. Cognito has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation treatment of the cognitive and functional symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease in individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and expects to start pivotal studies in 2022. The company’s technology was based on pioneering optogenetics research by scientific co-founders Professors Li-Huei Tsai and optogenetics pioneer Ed Boyden at MIT. Cognito Therapeutics is based in Cambridge, MA. For more information, please visit www.cognitotx.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cognitotx.

About Aetion

Aetion delivers real-world evidence for the manufacturers, purchasers, and regulators of medical treatments and technologies. The Aetion Evidence Platform® analyzes data from the real world to produce transparent, rapid, and scientifically validated answers on safety, effectiveness, and value. Founded by Harvard Medical School faculty members with decades of experience in epidemiology and health outcomes research, Aetion informs health care’s most critical decisions—what works best, for whom, and when—to guide product development, commercialization, and payment innovation.

Aetion is based in New York City and backed by investors including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Warburg Pincus, Flare Capital Partners, Greenspring Associates, Lakestar, B Capital, Foresite Capital, Town Hall Ventures, McKesson Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, EDBI, Johnson & Johnson Innovation—JJDC, Inc., UCB, Amgen Ventures, and Horizon Health Services, Inc. Learn more at aetion.com and follow us at @aetioninc.

Aetion
Maggie Cash
maggie.cash@aetion.com

Cognito Therapeutics
Kimberly Ha
KKH Advisors
917-291-5744
kimberly.ha@kkhadvisors.com