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Clinical Daily Summary

Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 22, 2026

Muna reports biomarker shifts for oral Alzheimer’s candidate

HealthBio began a controlled trial of Inflamexa for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

  • Updated
  • Read from 2 articles, 2 publications

Today in brief

Muna Therapeutics said its oral Alzheimer’s candidate MNA-001 changed exploratory biomarkers in a Phase 1 study. The company plans to start a Phase 2 trial in early 2027.1 HealthBio began a placebo-controlled trial of Inflamexa in adults with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Fatigue is the primary measure.2

Muna plans Phase 2 after MNA-001 biomarker findings

Muna Therapeutics reported changes in exploratory biomarkers among older volunteers who received MNA-001, an experimental oral treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease.1 The Phase 1 trial tested single and repeated doses in younger and older volunteer groups, using randomization, blinding, and placebo control.1

MNA-001 entered cerebrospinal fluid, and its concentration in plasma rose with dose.1 Muna said the drug’s pharmacokinetic profile supports once-daily dosing.1 Soluble TREM2, a protein involved in microglial biology, fell as doses increased in spinal fluid and plasma. Muna described a possible plateau at exposures it characterized as well tolerated.1

After repeated dosing, some age-associated measures of microglial and innate immune activity, along with neuronal stress indicators, shifted in older volunteers toward levels seen in younger volunteers.1 Most adverse events were mild. The report noted no serious events or treatment stoppages caused by adverse events.1

Muna plans to begin a placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in early Alzheimer’s disease in early 2027, assessing cognition and biomarkers of disease progression.1 Earlier TREM2 research cautions against treating biomarker activity as evidence of clinical benefit. Alector’s AL002 lowered soluble TREM2 and showed signs of microglial activation but failed to slow Alzheimer’s progression in Phase 2.1

HealthBio starts controlled trial of Inflamexa for persistent Lyme symptoms

HealthBio began HBT-002, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of Inflamexa in adults with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.2 The study plans to enroll about 252 participants at six or more medical-center sites in US regions where Lyme disease is endemic.2

Participants will receive the combination therapy or matching placebo for 12 weeks. Investigators plan to assess fatigue at week 24 using the modified Fatigue Severity Scale as the primary measure.2 They also plan to assess fatigue at week 12, quality of life, symptoms, safety, health, and immune biomarkers.2

A preprint described bacterial proteins in immune cells from people with persistent symptoms months to years after antibiotic treatment. It also found inflammatory gene-expression patterns but no active bacterial transcription.2 Bruce Patterson said the findings offer a biological hypothesis about whether residual bacterial material contributes to ongoing immune dysfunction. He said the trial will test whether targeting immune pathways can improve symptoms.2

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