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Polku Therapeutics Secures Funding to Advance Disease-Modifying Therapies for Tauopathies

Three foundations join to help Polku's mission to tackle tauopathies with disease-modifying therapies

January 31, 2025

Helsinki, Finland – January 31, 2025 – Polku Therapeutics is pleased to announce the award of a grant from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation under the Tau Pipeline Enabling Program (T-PEP) and an investment from Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s Therapeutics Funding Program. The funding will support Polku’s innovative approach to developing new treatments for tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.

Polku Therapeutics is advancing a unique strategy to increase the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). PP2A is an enzyme that may play a critical role in tauopathies.  It not only reduces toxic tau aggregation but also plays a significant role in regulating neuroinflammation, autophagy and tau stability. Reactivating PP2A has the potential to mitigate tau-dependent neuronal damage, a key contributor to the progression of tauopathies.

"We are honored by the recognition and support from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation," said Dr. Simon Bennett, CEO of Polku Therapeutics." This grant enables us to accelerate our research and move closer to bringing a novel, disease-modifying therapy to the clinic."

The grant and investment builds on Polku Therapeutics’ strong financial backing from biotech investors Torrey Pines Investment and Innovestor’s Life Science Fund, who have been instrumental in supporting Polku’s mission to develop transformative therapies for neurodegenerative disorders.

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About Polku therapeutics

Polku Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative, disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. By targeting key pathways involved in protein aggregation and neuroinflammation, Polku aims to deliver breakthrough treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia. polku-therapeutics.com

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Alzheimer’s Association’s mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. The vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Visit alz.org

About the Rainwater Charitable Foundation

The Rainwater Charitable Foundation was created in the early 1990s by renowned private equity investor and philanthropist Richard E. Rainwater. When Richard was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease and primary tauopathy called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, the RCF expanded its mission to accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments for tau-related neurodegenerative disorders. With over $140 million invested in medical research to date, the RCF has helped to advance eight treatments into human trials. For more information, please visit rainwatercharitablefoundation.org.

About the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

The ADDF is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $290 million to fund over 750 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs, biomarker programs and clinical trials in 20 countries. To learn more, please visit:  alzdiscovery.org.

Media Contact: Sebastian Soidinsalo, Director of Operations sebastian@polku-therapeutics.com

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