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SIGNAL-AD
CompletedPhase 1 / PHASE2SEMA4D Blockade Safety and Brain Metabolic Activity in Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
SEMA4D Blockade Safety and Brain Metabolic Activity in Alzheimer's Disease (AD): A Multi-center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Safety and Biomarker Study of Pepinemab Anti-SEMA4D Antibody in Early-AD
Lead sponsor
Asset
Pepinemab
Listed sites
14
Recruiting sites
-
Enrollment
50
actual
Study population
Alzheimer’s disease
Key I/E criteria
•Alzheimer's disease•Amyloid biomarker required (PET/CSF)•CDR global 0.5•MMSE 17-26•Background AD symptomatic therapy, if used: stable ≥8 weeks
Primary endpoint
•Treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs)
Footprint
Where this trial recruits
Site locations as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov. Site count is not enrollment count; per-site enrollment is not available from source.
Identifiers
Registered as
Timeline
Milestones
Assets
Drug assets
Study populations
Who this study enrolls
Eligibility
Who can enroll
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion
1. Written informed consent from the participant and legally acceptable representative (trial partner).
2. Have a reliable and competent trial partner who must have a close relationship with the participant, who has face to face contact at least three days a week for a minimum of ten waking hours a week and is willing to accompany the participant to all trial visits. The trial partner should understand the nature of the trial and adhere to trial requirements (e.g., dose, visit schedules, receive phone calls, and evaluations).
3. Male and female participants between the ages of 55 to 85 (inclusive).
4. If female, not be of childbearing potential as indicated by one of the following:
a. Has reached natural menopause defined as either:
5. If male, must agree to use a reliable method of birth control (condoms with contraceptive forms or sexual abstinence) during the study and for 6 months after the last dose of study drug.
6. Must fulfill one of the following:
1. A documented amyloid PET scan (florbetaben F18, florbetapir F18, or flutametamol F18) determined as positive by the Investigator obtained at any time prior to the Screening visit; or
2. A documented positive amyloid CSF result obtained at any time prior to the Screening visit; or
3. Investigator has knowledge of positive amyloid PET scan or positive amyloid CSF result obtained previously; or
4. A positive amyloid CSF result at screening. The cut-off value for CSF Aβ1-42 or CSF Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio will be based on the value determined by Vaccinex
7. Evidence of cognitive impairment based on history and neuropsychological testing that meet the diagnostic criteria for probable Alzheimer's dementia.
8. Global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5 or 1.0
9. MMSE score of 17-26, inclusive.
10. Adequate vision, hearing, and motor function to comply with testing.
11. If receiving medications for AD (including but not limited to donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, tacrine, and memantine), be on a stable dose for at least 8 weeks prior to Screening Visit.
12. If on stable doses of centrally-acting medications, be on a stable dose for 8 weeks prior to Screening Visit.
13. In the opinion of the Investigator, is in reasonably good health over the last 6 months and any chronic disease is stable based on medical history and screening assessments.
Exclusion
1. Inability to comply with visit schedule or other protocol requirements.
2. Have participated in an investigational drug or device study within 30 days of the Baseline Visit. If previous investigational drug was a monoclonal antibody, antibody-drug conjugate, or similar protein therapeutic, 180 days or 5 half-lives, whichever occurs first.
3. Have a known allergy to any ingredient in the study drug formulation.
4. Have a body weight greater than 125 kg.
5. Are a suicide risk, as determined by meeting any of the following criteria:
1. Suicide attempt within one year prior to the Baseline Visit.
2. Suicidal ideation as defined by a positive response to question 4 and 5 on the C-SSRS within 60 days of the Baseline Visit.
6. Have a history of substance abuse (based on DSMIV criteria) within the past 12 months prior to Screening.
7. Significant acute or chronic infection at Screening including, among others: Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or known acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (defined as, HBV surface antigen positive or positive HCV antibody with reflex to positive HCV RNA) at Screening.
8. Have clinically significant laboratory or ECG abnormalities at Screening in the opinion of the Investigator.
9. Have clinically relevant hematologic, hepatic, cardiac, or renal disease.
10. Have a clinically significant medical, surgical, laboratory, or behavioral abnormality which in the judgment of the Investigator makes the participant unsuitable for the study, as well as anyone with a history of malignancy of any type within 2 years of Screening. Persons with a history of surgically excised non-melanoma skin cancers, superficial bladder or prostate cancer are permitted.
11. Participants who have a diagnosis of a neurological condition causing cognitive impairment other than sporadic mild dementia due to AD (e.g., Lewy body disease or frontotemporal dementia), a primary psychiatric diagnosis (e.g., Cognitive Impairment due to Schizophrenia, CIAS), history of frequent concussions or significant findings on brain MRI at screening inconsistent with AD (e.g., cerebrovascular disease or tumor).
12. Have any of the following conditions (which would exclude MRI or PET participation):
1. Participants deemed unable to cooperate due to claustrophobia, inability to lie on scanner bed for 45 minutes, or inability to achieve venous access sufficient for tracer or pepinemab administration.
2. An implant/device/condition that is contraindicated for MRI (e.g., pacemaker, severe claustrophobia, prosthetic heart valve, any metal fragments in the eyes or body--in some cases, an X-ray may be needed before an MRI scan, to ensure it is safe to enter the scanner).
3. Body habitus that would impede completion of imaging scans.
13. Has an MRI scan obtained at Screening that shows evidence of a neurological disorder other than early AD or > 4 cerebral microhemorrhages (regardless of their anatomical location or diagnostic characterization as "possible" or "definite"), a single area of superficial siderosis,
14. Any other clinically significant finding on MRI (e.g., any lesion that may account for their cognitive impairment, including but not limited to brain tumor, severe white matter disease arteriovenous malformation, cavernous hemangioma, or any infarct in a strategic cortical or subcortical location).
15. Are undergoing FDG-PET and have received research-related radiation exposure that exceeds institutional guidelines in the prior year if applicable.
16. Are undergoing a LP for CSF collection and have any of the following conditions: uncorrected bleeding or clotting disorders, skin infections near the site of the LP, suspicion of increased intracranial pressure, allergies to numbing medications (local anesthetics), acute spinal trauma.
17. Are undergoing a LP for CSF collection and taking any of the following types of anticoagulants: coumarins and indandiones, Factor Xa inhibitors, heparins, or thrombin inhibitors.
18. Has received treatment with any FDA accelerated approval therapy for treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
19. Has a Screening MRI that shows Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities edema (ARIA-E)
Endpoints (22)
What's being measured
Protocol endpoints and posted registry outcome measures, grouped into outcome categories. Composite endpoints show their component event types. Standard codes (LOINC, SNOMED CT) are shown where available.
Coverage by outcome category
Global cognition
2 endpointsClinical Dementia Rating (CDR)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)
descriptive
Function / daily living
1 endpointAlzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Activities of Daily Living
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
ADCS-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL)
descriptive
Behavior / neuropsychiatric
1 endpointNeuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)
event count, event
Amyloid biomarkers
1 endpointPlasma and CSF concentrations of Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Tau biomarkers
1 endpointCSF concentrations of tau and p-tau
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Neurodegeneration biomarkers
1 endpointPlasma and CSF concentration of neurofilament light chain (NfL)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
Neurofilament light (NfL)
concentration, descriptive
Neuroimaging
1 endpointEffects on brain volume
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
Fluid / digital biomarkers
3 endpointsSerum and CSF levels of neuroinflammatory cytokines
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
CSF levels of pepinemab
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
CSF concentrations of YKL-40
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Safety / tolerability / PK
5 endpointsNumber of subjects with treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs)
Time frame:Up to 40 weeks
event count, event
Immunogenicity of pepinemab in serum
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
event count, event
Peak serum concentration (Cmax)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Area under the serum concentration vs. time curve (AUC)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Half-life of pepinemab
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
concentration, descriptive
Other clinical outcomes
1 endpointAlzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study- Clinical Global Impression of Change (ADCS-CGIC)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
change from baseline, improvement
Other (unclassified)
5 endpointsEffects on brain metabolism
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
ratio, descriptive
Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale- Cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog13)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
ADAS-Cog
descriptive
T- and B-Cell Quantitation by Flow Cytometry (TBNK)
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
ratio, descriptive
Cellular SEMA4D levels
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
Total soluble SEMA4D levels
Time frame:Up to 36 weeks
descriptive
Publications (31)
Bibliography
Records linked to this trial through ClinicalTrials.gov references, PubMed NCT search, and curated study seeds. 'Canonical' marks design/result papers; others are registry references or candidates.
Registry references + supporting bibliography
- PMID17855350via BACKGROUND
- PMID16278236via BACKGROUND
- PMID20038643via BACKGROUND
- PMID26694609via BACKGROUND
- PMID17207662via BACKGROUND
- PMID25792098via BACKGROUND
- PMID29311817via BACKGROUND
- PMID16571604via BACKGROUND
- PMID27033548via BACKGROUND
- PMID29782323via BACKGROUND
- PMID21900936via BACKGROUND
- PMID22173295via BACKGROUND
- PMID23150908via BACKGROUND
- PMID27292539via BACKGROUND
- PMID16741123via BACKGROUND
- PMID25662335via BACKGROUND
- PMID28805002via BACKGROUND
- PMID28642891via BACKGROUND
- PMID14707103via BACKGROUND
- PMID18995817via BACKGROUND
- PMID26446947via BACKGROUND
- PMID25461192via BACKGROUND
- PMID1566067via BACKGROUND
- PMID18246065via BACKGROUND
- PMID27273432via BACKGROUND
- PMID26577523via BACKGROUND
- PMID21458571via BACKGROUND
- PMID14534257via BACKGROUND
- PMID22072657via BACKGROUND
- PMID16247181via BACKGROUND
- PMID26431358via BACKGROUND
Provenance
Sources
Trial facts come from public ClinicalTrials.gov records. Endpoint categories are Delfa's classification of those records, not a ClinicalTrials.gov field. All figures reflect the July 21, 2026 snapshot.