Home › Research › Treatments
Lecanemab preferentially binds to smaller aggregates present at early Alzheimer's disease
Fertan E, Lam JYL, Albertini G, Dewilde M, Wu Y, Akingbade OES, Böken D, English EA et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Introduction The monoclonal antibodies Aducanumab, Lecanemab, Gantenerumab, and Donanemab were developed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods We used single-molecule detection and super-resolution imaging to characterize the binding of these antibodies to diffusible amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregates generated in-vitro and harvested from human brains. Results Lecanemab showed the best performance in terms of binding to the small-diffusible Aβ aggregates, affinity, aggregate coating, and the ability to bind to post-translationally modified species, providing an explanation for its therapeutic success. We observed a Braak stage-dependent increase in small-diffusible aggregate quantity and size, which was detectable with Aducanumab and Gantenerumab, but not Lecanemab, showing that the diffusible Aβ aggregates change with disease progression and the smaller aggregates to which Lecanemab preferably binds exist at higher quantities during earlier stages. Discussion These findings provide an explanation for the success of Lecanemab in clinical trials and suggests that Lecanemab will be more effective when used in early-stage AD. Highlights Anti amyloid beta therapeutics are compared by their diffusible aggregate binding characteristics. In-vitro and brain-derived aggregates are tested using single-molecule detection. Lecanemab shows therapeutic success by binding to aggregates formed in early disease. Lecanemab binds to these aggregates with high affinity and coats them better.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Fertan, E., Lam, J. Y. L., Albertini, G., Dewilde, M., Wu, Y., Akingbade, O. E. S., et al. (2025). Lecanemab preferentially binds to smaller aggregates present at early Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70086
Vancouver
Fertan E, Lam JYL, Albertini G, Dewilde M, Wu Y, Akingbade OES, et al. Lecanemab preferentially binds to smaller aggregates present at early Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70086. PMID: 40237235.
BibTeX
@article{fertan2025-40237235,
author = {Fertan, E. and Lam, J. Y. L. and Albertini, G. and Dewilde, M. and Wu, Y. and Akingbade, O. E. S. and Böken, D. and English, E. A. and others},
title = {{Lecanemab preferentially binds to smaller aggregates present at early Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70086},
pmid = {40237235},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70086}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Lecanemab showed the best performance in terms of binding to the small-diffusible Aβ aggregates, affinity, aggregate coating, and the ability to bind to post-translationally modified species, providing an explanation for its therapeutic success.
- We observed a Braak stage-dependent increase in small-diffusible aggregate quantity and size, which was detectable with Aducanumab and Gantenerumab, but not Lecanemab, showing that the diffusible Aβ aggregates change with disease progression and the smaller aggregates to which Lecanemab preferably binds exist at higher quantities during earlier stages.
- Discussion These findings provide an explanation for the success of Lecanemab in clinical trials and suggests that Lecanemab will be more effective when used in early-stage AD.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Treatments →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 48 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40237235) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 28 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 48 out of 100. |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in Treatments
Also tagged “preferentially”
2 studies in the library carry the topic tag “preferentially”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 2 tagged studies.