Imeka Collaborates with Atara Biotherapeutics to Provide Neuroimaging for Phase 2 Study in Multiple Sclerosis

SHERBROOKE, QC, Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Imeka, the leading neuroimaging company combining diffusion imaging and AI to map white matter integrity, today announced a collaboration with Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. to utilize Imeka's novel biomarker technology in a Phase 2 clinical study of patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Imeka's non-invasive Advanced Neuro Imaging Endpoints (ANIE) biomarker platform will measure the potential effect of Atara's investigational treatment, ATA188, on neuroinflammation and remyelination in the brain and spinal cord in patients with primary progressive MS and secondary progressive MS.

MS is a chronic, debilitating and potentially disabling autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects myelin, a protein that helps nerves in the brain and spinal cord communicate. There are an estimated 2.3 – 2.8 million people living with MS worldwide, with approximately one million living with progressive forms of the disease, marked by continuous clinical decline and worsening disability. Today, there remains a critical unmet need for new treatments that can fundamentally alter disease progression.

Atara Biotherapeutics is leveraging its novel allogeneic off-the-shelf Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, including ATA188, which could be the first investigational therapy to reverse disability in progressive MS. There is growing evidence that EBV, which is carried by more than 90 percent of the population and infects a particular type of immune cell called the B cell, may have a role in MS and in fact may be the only risk factor identified necessary to cause the condition. Atara is currently evaluating ATA188 in the Phase 2 EMBOLD clinical study in the U.S. and Australia.

Imeka is the world's leading company combining diffusion imaging and AI to obtain detailed images of the brain's white matter, where most of a person's myelin is located, and provide insights into neuroinflammation, demyelination and axonal loss. Imeka's non-invasive technology produces biomarkers based on white matter free-water, apparent fiber density and tissue radial diffusivity within fiber bundle-based regions of interest, enabling researchers to precisely quantify pathological changes in white matter due to disease and measure the effect of potential therapies.

"We are excited to collaborate with Imeka for our Phase 2 EMBOLD clinical study in progressive MS," said AJ Joshi, Chief Medical Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics. "Their proprietary technology complements other imaging techniques, including MTR, which we are leveraging to analyze the effects of ATA188 on neuroinflammation and remyelination, key markers for disease progression. This work will contribute to the growing body of clinical knowledge around our investigational therapy."

"We are proud to collaborate with Atara Biotherapeutics on the search for innovation in the treatment of progressive MS," said Jean-René Bélanger, Chief Executive Officer of Imeka. "Biomarkers have potential to revolutionize the discovery and development of medicines for some of the most difficult-to-treat neurodegenerative diseases. Our proprietary non-invasive biomarker platform is a trusted resource for identifying biomarkers associated with MS and other conditions. By providing highly localized views of the effects of both disease and investigational treatments on white matter, we provide unique insights that can help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies accelerate the development of potential new treatments through multiple phases."

Imeka's ANIE biomarker platform technology has broad applicability across neurological therapeutic areas such as Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Traumatic Brain Injury. The novel biomarker technology has been utilized for neuroimaging in clinical studies across several diseases, and it has shown striking correlations with clinical endpoints in large public datasets. To learn more, please visit www.imeka.ca.

About Imeka 
Imeka offers an ability to combine diffusion MRI imaging and AI to map white matter integrity and understand neuroinflammation, demyelination and axonal loss. Imeka works in collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's disease. Based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, the company also has an office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.imeka.ca.

SOURCE Imeka

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