Overview
AC Immune SA is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, focused on developing novel therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases through its proprietary SupraAgem technology platform. [@aci]
Company Overview
| Attribute | Details | [@immune2024]
|-----------|---------| [@tau]
| Ticker | NASDAQ: ACIU | [@immune2024a]
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Founded | 2003 |
| CEO | Andrea Pfeifer |
| Employees | ~150 |
| Market Cap | ~$200 million (2024) |
[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) Pipeline
Active Immunotherapy (Vaccine) Programs
| Drug | Mechanism | Phase | Indication |
|------|-----------|-------|------------|
| ACI-35.030 (Lipid) | Anti-pTau liposome vaccine | Phase 2 | AD |
| ACI-35.030 (MD) | Anti-pTau liposome vaccine | Phase 1b | AD |
| ACI-24 | Anti-amyloid beta vaccine | Phase 1 | AD |
ACI-35.030 (Lipid)
- Mechanism: Liposomal therapeutic vaccine targeting phosphorylated [tau](/proteins/tau) (pTau)
- Target: Phosphorylated tau at Ser396/404
- Phase: Phase 2 (ABATE study)
- Partner: Janssen (global collaboration)
- Status: Recruiting
- Clinical Trials: [ABATE](https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT05514158)
ACI-24
- Mechanism: Liposomal vaccine targeting [amyloid-beta](/proteins/amyloid-beta) plaques
- Target: Amyloid-beta
- Phase: Phase 1
- Rationale: Active immunization to generate anti-Aβ antibodies
Monoclonal Antibody Programs
...Overview
AC Immune SA is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, focused on developing novel therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases through its proprietary SupraAgem technology platform. [@aci]
Company Overview
| Attribute | Details | [@immune2024]
|-----------|---------| [@tau]
| Ticker | NASDAQ: ACIU | [@immune2024a]
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Founded | 2003 |
| CEO | Andrea Pfeifer |
| Employees | ~150 |
| Market Cap | ~$200 million (2024) |
[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) Pipeline
Active Immunotherapy (Vaccine) Programs
| Drug | Mechanism | Phase | Indication |
|------|-----------|-------|------------|
| ACI-35.030 (Lipid) | Anti-pTau liposome vaccine | Phase 2 | AD |
| ACI-35.030 (MD) | Anti-pTau liposome vaccine | Phase 1b | AD |
| ACI-24 | Anti-amyloid beta vaccine | Phase 1 | AD |
ACI-35.030 (Lipid)
- Mechanism: Liposomal therapeutic vaccine targeting phosphorylated [tau](/proteins/tau) (pTau)
- Target: Phosphorylated tau at Ser396/404
- Phase: Phase 2 (ABATE study)
- Partner: Janssen (global collaboration)
- Status: Recruiting
- Clinical Trials: [ABATE](https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT05514158)
ACI-24
- Mechanism: Liposomal vaccine targeting [amyloid-beta](/proteins/amyloid-beta) plaques
- Target: Amyloid-beta
- Phase: Phase 1
- Rationale: Active immunization to generate anti-Aβ antibodies
Monoclonal Antibody Programs
| Drug | Mechanism | Phase | Indication |
|------|-----------|-------|------------|
| Crenezumab | Anti-amyloid beta mAb | Phase 2 | AD (preventive) |
| JBI-802 | - | Preclinical | AD/PD |
Crenezumab
- Mechanism: Monoclonal antibody binding to multiple Aβ forms
- Target: Monomeric and oligomeric amyloid-beta
- Development: Originally from AC Immune, partnered with Genentech/Roche
- Phase: Phase 2 (CREAD, CREAD-OLE) - discontinued
- Results: Did not meet primary endpoints in CREAD
[Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease) Pipeline
| Drug | Mechanism | Phase | Indication |
|------|-----------|-------|------------|
| JBI-802 | - | Preclinical | PD |
Alpha-Synuclein Programs
- AC Immune has early-stage programs targeting [alpha-synuclein](/proteins/alpha-synuclein) pathology in Parkinson's disease
- Partner: Lundbeck (alpha-synuclein program)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Pipeline
| Drug | Mechanism | Phase |
|------|-----------|-------|
| ACI-7104 | Anti-alpha-synuclein mAb | Phase 1 (planned) |
ACI-7104
- Mechanism: Monoclonal antibody targeting alpha-synuclein
- Phase: Phase 1 planned
- Rationale: Target alpha-synuclein pathology in ALS (with possible PD overlap)
SupraAgem Technology
AC Immune's proprietary vaccine platform enables generation of antibodies against disease-specific protein targets:
- LipAntix platform: Liposome-based delivery
- Advantage: Stronger immune response, better safety profile
Small Molecule Programs
- [Tau](/proteins/tau) aggregation inhibitors - Discovery/Preclinical
- Alpha-synuclein aggregation inhibitors - Discovery/Preclinical
Strategic Partnerships
Janssen Collaboration ([Tau](/proteins/tau))
- Scope: Development of tau vaccine programs
- Structure: Joint development; Janssen has opt-in rights
Genentech/Roche (Crenezumab)
- Scope: Development and commercialization of crenezumab
- Status: Discontinued (2022) - did not meet endpoints
Lundbeck (Alpha-synuclein)
- Scope: Development of alpha-synuclein targeting agents for PD/ALS
- Structure: Research collaboration
Financial Highlights
| Year | Revenue | Cash | Key Programs |
|------|---------|------|--------------|
| 2023 | $25M | $120M | ACI-35, ACI-24 |
| 2022 | $20M | $140M | ACI-35, Crenezumab |
| 2021 | $18M | $150M | Crenezumab |
Key Leadership
- Andrea Pfeifer - CEO (co-founder)
- Dieter M. K. - CSO
- Joachim - CBO
- [Biogen](/companies/biogen) - Major player in AD/PD
- [Eli Lilly](/companies/eli-lilly) - AD pipeline competitor
- [Roche](/companies/roche) - Neuroscience pipeline
- [Eisai](/companies/eisai) - AD partnership with Biogen
- [Denali Therapeutics](/companies/denali) - Neurodegeneration focus
Recent Clinical Development Updates
ABATE Phase 2 Study
The ACI-35.030 liposomal tau vaccine is currently in the Phase 2 ABATE study (NCT05514158), evaluating safety and immunogenicity in patients with early Alzheimer's disease. This study builds on positive Phase 1b results showing robust antibody responses against phosphorylated tau[@aci][@immune2024].
[Tau](/proteins/tau) PET Imaging Biomarkers
AC Immune's development program incorporates tau PET imaging as a key biomarker for target engagement, using tracers like [18F]Flortaucipir to visualize tau pathology burden and track disease progression[@tau].
Research Collaborations
Relationship with Genentech/Roche
While the crenezumab program was discontinued, AC Immune maintains its relationship with Genentech/Roche for other potential programs. The company's expertise in tau and alpha-synuclein remains attractive for partnerships[@immune2024a].
Lundbeck Partnership
The partnership with Lundbeck focuses on alpha-synuclein-targeting therapies for Parkinson's disease and related disorders. This collaboration leverages AC Immune's SupraAgem platform for novel vaccine development[@lundbeckac].
Liposome-Based Delivery
The proprietary liposome delivery system offers several advantages:
- Enhanced immune response through multivalent antigen presentation
- Improved safety profile compared to traditional adjuvants
- Flexible targeting of multiple disease-relevant epitopes
- Potential for combination therapies
Pipeline Expansion Strategy
AC Immune continues to expand its pipeline through:
- New tau vaccine constructs targeting additional epitopes
- [Alpha-synuclein](/proteins/alpha-synuclein) targeting for Parkinson's and MSA
- Small molecule programs for oral bioavailability
- Next-generation antibody engineering
Market Position
As a mid-sized biotech focused specifically on neurodegenerative diseases, AC Immune occupies a unique position:
- Specialized expertise in protein aggregation pathologies
- Proprietary delivery platform with multiple programs
- Strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies
- Focused pipeline targeting high-unmet-need indications
References
- [Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)
- [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease)
- [Tau](/proteins/tau) Protein Path- Alpha-synuclein
- [Amyloid](/mechanisms/amyloid-aggregation) Cascade Hypothesis
- [Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) — Alzh- Parkinson's Disease — Parkinson's drug development
- [Amyloid](/mechanisms/amyloid-aggregation) Cascade Hypothesis — Amyloid-targeting therapies
- [Tau](/proteins/tau) Pathology — Tau-targeting therapies
- Clinical Trials Overview — Clinical trial portfolio
External Links
- [ClinicalTrials.gov Search](https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?spons=AC+Immune)
Pathway Diagram
The following diagram shows the key molecular relationships involving AC Immune SA discovered through SciDEX knowledge graph analysis:
Mermaid diagram (expand to render)