Qmenta will manage and analyze medical imaging data of an anticipated phase 2 clinical study of AL001, a novel lithium compound being investigated for its potential to treat Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Biopharmaceutical developer Alzamend Neuro announced the partnership with Qmenta and its contract research organization and clinical trial site Massachusetts General Hospital.
Tesla Head Coil (Tesla Dynamic Coils BV)Alzamend Neuro via BusinessWire
In collaboration with Qmenta and Massachusetts General, Alzamend will explore the unique properties of AL001 and its potential to deliver lithium more effectively in the brain compared to marketed lithium salts, Alzamend said. Lithium, a therapy for manic episodes and maintenance in bipolar disorder, has long been underutilized due to the complexities of therapeutic drug monitoring, according to the firm.
Head-to-head studies of AL001 versus a marketed lithium carbonate product will be conducted for comparisons of lithium blood and brain/brain-structure pharmacokinetics in healthy, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar, major depressive disorder, and PTSD subjects.
Nonclinical studies in mice have shown that AL001 ensures better brain absorption while maintaining lower levels of lithium in the blood, Alzamend explained. The company's study in healthy human subjects will serve as a baseline for further development.
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![Images depict axial MRI scans in a 50-year-old premenopausal female patient with biopsy-proven 12-mm invasive lobular cancer in the lower outer quadrant of the left breast. Upper images are subtracted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI scans from the first and second postcontrast acquisitions. Lower images are ultrafast MRI scans obtained within 24 hours after the DCE study (four consecutive subtracted dynamic frames from time points [T] 6–9). There is marked background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on the DCE MRI scans. Thus, the known cancer (arrow) is barely visible; it exhibits only slightly stronger enhancement than the normal fibroglandular tissue, which results in low conspicuity. At ultrafast MRI there is less BPE, and still the cancer is barely visible because it starts to enhance simultaneously with the BPE. The conspicuity of the cancer is even reduced compared with the DCE series. Both of the readers missed this cancer on both the DCE and ultrafast MRI scans.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2025/05/2025-05-06-rsna-ultrafast-dce-mri-breast.Gzvq76udFr.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
