Experimental treatment significantly slows progression of a fatal brain disease in women during clinical trial
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Researchers at Tel Aviv University have presented new findings indicating that the experimental drug Davunetide may significantly slow the progression of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in women, who exhibited a markedly different response to treatment than men. These results reinforce the need for sex-specific medicine in neurodegenerative diseases.
The new publication, led by Prof. Illana Gozes of the Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University, used updated FDA-recommended outcome measures to reanalyze data from a 52-week international clinical trial involving more than 300 patients with PSP, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brain. There is currently no effective drug treatment for the disease.
The research team included current and former students Dr. Guy Shapira, Jason Blatt and Liri Guz, together with Prof. Noam Shomron. The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
A different picture for women
In contrast to the original conclusions of the clinical trial, which found that the drug was safe but ineffective, the researchers conducted an advanced analysis that separated male and female participants and reexamined the data using updated assessment measures now recommended by the FDA. The results revealed a completely different picture: Women treated with Davunetide experienced a significant slowing of disease progression, while no similar effect was observed in men.
The researchers found that the treatment helped preserve essential motor and functional abilities, including balance, fine motor skills and everyday activities such as using cutlery, buttoning clothes and washing the face and hands. In addition, the treated women showed significant improvements in cognitive measures, including language abilities, working memory and overall cognitive function.
Tau patterns diverged by sex
Another key finding of the study was the discovery of profound molecular differences between women and men. The researchers found that the relationship between the quantities of pathological tau in cerebrospinal fluid (a biomarker of the disease) and clinical symptoms was completely reversed between the two sexes. For example, language abilities significantly decreased with increased tau pathology in women, but not in men. This finding suggests that the disease mechanisms themselves may operate differently in women and men, potentially explaining their different responses to treatment.
According to Gozes, the study's findings highlight that overlooking biological differences between the sexes may obscure genuine therapeutic efficacy. "Our data show that analyzing women and men separately is not merely a statistical exercise, but an essential tool for developing more effective treatments for neurodegenerative brain diseases," she says.
A case for tailored trials
The researchers believe their findings provide a strong scientific basis for future clinical trials and for treatment protocols designed from the outset to account for patients' sex, evaluating Davunetide as a targeted treatment for women with PSP. They say this new approach may pave the way for the development of more precise medicine for patients with tau-related diseases, including the much more common Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders of the brain.
The study was supported by ExoNavis Therapeutics, which is developing Davunetide for brain diseases under a license from Ramot, Tel Aviv University's technology transfer company. Prof. Gozes serves as the company's Vice President for Drug Development, and Dr. Guy Shapira serves as a consulting statistician. The results were independently validated by several additional statisticians.
Publication details
Guy Shapira et al, Opposite molecular sex correlations in tauopathy paralleled by motor and cognitive efficacy of davunetide in women, Molecular Psychiatry (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03709-x
Journal information: Molecular Psychiatry
Key medical concepts
Progressive Supranuclear Palsytau Proteins
Clinical categories
NeurologyWomen's healthClinical pharmacology Provided by Tel-Aviv University Who's behind this story?
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