Cambridge, Mass. — Cognito Therapeutics presented exploratory biomarker data suggesting that its investigational Spectris neuromodulation platform may affect biological pathways involved in lipid transport and myelination in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026 and came from the phase 2 FLICKER study of patients with amyloid-positive mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers used mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid samples and found increased levels of several HDL-like lipid transport proteins after daily Spectris treatment, including APOA1, APOA2 and APOL1.
Pathway analysis showed that 13 of 29 significantly upregulated biological pathways were associated with lipid transport or metabolism, which the company said suggests a coordinated biological response rather than isolated changes in individual proteins.
The analysis also found enrichment of a pathway associated with oligodendrocytes, myelination and white matter biology. Cognito said the result was consistent with previously reported MRI findings from its OVERTURE feasibility study that suggested preservation of white matter and myelin following Spectris treatment.
“Every new dataset helps us build a more complete understanding of how non-invasive neuromodulation may impact the biology of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Christian Howell, chief executive officer of Cognito Therapeutics. “The unbiased identification of coordinated lipid transport and myelination pathways is an encouraging finding that reinforces our scientific hypothesis and expands our understanding of Spectris’ potential mechanism of action.”
Howell added that the analyses were exploratory and would need to be evaluated in future clinical studies.
The analysis included 10 participants with amyloid-positive mild cognitive impairment. Participants received one hour of daily Spectris treatment for either four or eight weeks under a delayed-start study design.
Researchers collected cerebrospinal fluid samples at baseline and after four and eight weeks of treatment. The company said the findings support further evaluation of lipid transport and myelination biomarkers as predefined endpoints in larger clinical trials.
Spectris is an investigational sensory stimulation device designed to deliver noninvasive neuromodulation for neurodegenerative disorders.
