Katrine Qvortrup, Associate Professor at DTU Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, has been awarded a grant of 1,972,585 DKK from Lundbeck Foundation’s LF Experiment. This funding will support her innovative project aimed at developing new antibody-based therapies for neurological diseases.
Antibodies play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating various conditions. However, their effectiveness in treating brain diseases such as migraines, glioblastoma, and Alzheimer’s is limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This barrier protects the brain but restricts the delivery of large molecules like monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), allowing only a small fraction (0.2%) of the injected dose to reach the brain. As a result, high doses are needed, which can lead to side effects.
Qvortrup’s project aims to address this challenge by creating bivalent ligands that can temporarily block the binding sites of antibodies. These ligands are designed to respond to brain-specific conditions, ensuring that the antibodies are activated exclusively in the brain. This approach could significantly improve the effectiveness of treatments while reducing side effects.
Read the announcement from the Lundbeck Foundation here.