“Finnish biotech startup R2therapies has recently uncovered a promising biomarker in the blood of Alzheimer’s disease patients, shedding light on the likelihood of developing severe symptoms. This breakthrough holds the potential to pave the way for an approved diagnostic tool in the future. R2therapies has earned a spot on the prestigious Health Incubator Helsinki 2023 program”
Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by cognitive decline and memory loss, poses significant challenges in prediction and treatment. R2therapies’ identified biomarker not only forecasts the likelihood of Alzheimer’s but also pinpoints the risk of severe dementia.
The company’s journey began as a drug development project in Kuopio, Finland, where a team of scientists stumbled upon unexpected results during a routine experiment. What initially seemed like a technical glitch turned out to be a genuine biological phenomenon—a potential novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s. This discovery, rooted in an unforeseen property of red blood cells, sets the stage for a biomarker capable of predicting Alzheimer’s onset.
Ilkka Fagerlund, co-founder of R2therapies, explains, “We connected these findings and analyzed patient samples from Kuopio University Hospital, showing that the same mechanism is affected in the red blood cells of Alzheimer’s patients. This revealed a previously unidentified feature related to Alzheimer’s disease, one that we are looking to translate into a biomarker for predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s and stratifying patients for future tailored treatments.”
Unlike existing biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, which are often linked to symptoms detected too late, the R2therapies kit aims to diagnose patients before symptom onset, enabling earlier treatment initiation.
The company is now delving deeper into the biological underpinnings of their new biomarker. In addition to ongoing validation in early Alzheimer’s patients, they are exploring its behavior in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson’s disease, to assess its potential for differential diagnosis.
The next step involves developing a biomarker analysis kit for research use, laying the foundation for potential clinical approval. Health Incubator Helsinki, a program supporting scientists entering the business realm, has proven invaluable to R2 therapies. Fagerlund emphasizes the program’s comprehensive nature, citing insights gained from seminars on contracts and the diverse types involved in business dealings.
As R2therapies embarks on its initial development phase, the team is actively seeking investments. Health Incubator Helsinki has facilitated connections with investors to support their goals. The program’s advisors, with their expertise and experience, are expected to guide R2therapies through clinical validation and regulatory considerations, facilitating the transition of their innovation into a market-ready diagnostic tool.