AV-1959D Alzheimer's vaccine for early-stage Alzheimer's disease
Official title: Safety/Tolerability/Immunogenicity of first-in-human Aβ DNA vaccine, AV-1959D Phase 1 trials in early-stage AD subjects: based on IND18953 cleared by FDA.
Funded at Institute for Molecular Medicine · NIH-11300264 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new DNA vaccine called AV-1959D aims to prompt the immune system to make antibodies against amyloid in people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Institute for Molecular Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Huntington Beach, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,115,510 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG074983-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11300264 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (mild cognitive impairment due to AD or mild AD dementia) who meet the trial's eligibility rules and can attend regular study visits are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People with advanced Alzheimer's, no evidence of amyloid pathology, or medical conditions that make vaccination unsafe are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
You would be invited to a Phase 1 first-in-human trial of a DNA vaccine that teaches the body to produce anti-amyloid antibodies. The visit schedule will include vaccine doses, blood draws, and brain imaging (MRI) to watch for side effects like ARIA. Doctors will measure your immune response and monitor thinking and memory using standard tests over months to years. The team is building on prior vaccine and antibody experience that showed plaque reduction but also highlighted safety and dosing challenges.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the vaccine could reduce amyloid plaques and potentially slow or prevent disease progression with less-frequent dosing than current antibody infusions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous active vaccines such as AN-1792 showed plaque reduction in some patients without causing ARIA, and recent monoclonal antibodies cleared amyloid and produced modest clinical effects but carried notable ARIA risk.
Where this research is happening
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Institute for Molecular Medicine
Huntington Beach, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Agadjanyan, Michael G — Institute for Molecular Medicine
- Study coordinator: Agadjanyan, Michael G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.