Sunbird Bio, a biotechnology company developing proprietary blood-based technologies to improve diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and early-stage cancer, today announced that new findings from a study evaluating its blood-based diagnostic platform will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference^® 2024 (AAIC^®) taking place July 28 – August 1, 2024, in Philadelphia. The study explored the potential of brain-derived, extracellular vesicle (EV)-bound tau proteins to serve as robust blood-based biomarkers for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.

“As research continues to uncover the importance of tau proteins in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, we’re pleased to share our latest findings with the Alzheimer’s community to build on this growing body of evidence,” said John McDonough, executive chair and CEO of Sunbird Bio. “In prior studies, our team has witnessed the remarkable potential of extracellular vesicle-bound diseased proteins in the blood to accurately indicate protein aggregation in the brain that denotes the presence of disease. We are evaluating this potential in key neurodegenerative disease biomarkers, including tau, with our diagnostic platform and look forward to sharing more at this year’s conference.”

The accumulation of tau tangles in the brain is a hallmark pathology of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in the later stages of the disease. There are numerous therapeutics in development that specifically target this protein, accentuating the urgent need for accessible and accurate methods to detect aggregated tau proteins. Sunbird Bio’s diagnostic platform is the first technology that directly detects, from a simple blood draw, the EV-bound, disease-specific proteins that aggregate in the brain and play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, including tau, amyloid beta (Aβ), alpha synuclein (α-synuclein), and other protein and non-protein biomarkers.

Following are details of the Sunbird Bio poster presentation at AAIC:

• Topic: The potential of brain EV-bound proteins in blood as a robust biomarker for accurate classification of tau tangles in the brain
• Presenter: Nicholas Ho, Ph.D., head of innovation and scientific co-founder, Sunbird Bio
• Date and Time: Tuesday, July 30, 2024, 8:00 a.m. ET – 4:15 p.m. ET
• Poster Number: #88533

About Sunbird Bio

Sunbird Bio is a biotechnology company developing proprietary blood-based diagnostic tests that provide unprecedented insights to enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and early-stage cancer. Sunbird’s innovative technologies uniquely detect the property and activity of proteins to empower researchers and clinicians with actionable information that is not available or accessible from current tests. Sunbird Bio’s unparalleled leadership in blood-based diagnostics positions the company to become a global leader in the field, addressing significant research and clinical gaps, and serving multiple, sizable markets. For more information, please visit sunbirdbio.com.

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