Alzheimer’s Disease affects more than 15 million people worldwide. Alzheimer's is usually diagnosed at 60 years or older, with risk increasing with age. It is more common in females. The incidence of Alzheimer’s is expected to triple within 50 years in unison with ageing of the population. The combined value of major global markets in 2005 totalled US$6.1 billion and is expected to increase to US$7.8 billion by 2010.

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible, progressive, terminal brain disease in which mild cognitive and behavioural impairment eventually becomes serious dementia. It slowly destroys the memory and the ability to reason and communicate. Eventually, brain damage produces personality changes, severe dementia and death. With severe disease, patients are unable to care for themselves and may experience loss of mobility and difficulty swallowing. Eventually, Alzheimer’s is fatal due to the loss of essential brain functions. Alzheimer's has a large impact on quality of life of the patient and their families. The progression of Alzheimer’s occurs at widely different rates and the disease may last from three to 20 years. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is eight to ten years.

While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, in some cases its symptoms can be relieved, and disease progression slowed. However, the existing palliative therapies - acetylcholinesterase inhibitors - have side effects that may require termination of treatment. There are no established ways to prevent Alzheimer’s, although it has been noted that use of some anti-inflammatory drugs and cholesterol-lowering drugs reduces the risk of contracting the disease.

Several highly promising candidate cytokines, including beta Nerve Growth Factor (beta NGF), have been shown to treat Alzheimer’s symptoms effectively in animal models. However, progress has been blocked by NGF’s inability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Other delivery methods such as gene therapy and intracranial injection have been trialled, but have associated safety issues.

Apollo is working on a technology that allows proteins such as NGF - which have been shown elsewhere to be effective in treating Alzheimer’s symptoms - to be delivered through the blood-brain barrier. Preliminary experimental data suggest the protein enters the brain efficiently. As such, Apollo’s product is intended to be capable of delivering a protein that travels across the blood-brain barrier to repair brain function in Alzheimer’s patients. Once across this barrier, the drug has the potential to assist the repair and survival of damaged neurons.