LAUSANNE, Switzerland - AC Immune SA (NASDAQ:ACIU) announced today it will receive a $4 million research grant from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation to support extending Part 1 of its Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104 in early Parkinson’s disease. The grant comes as the clinical-stage biotech, with a market capitalization of $210 million, navigates development costs while maintaining more cash than debt on its balance sheet.
The grant will fund an additional two years of assessment for the long-term safety and efficacy of ACI-7104, an anti-alpha-synuclein active immunotherapy, according to a press release statement. Final data from Part 1 of the VacSYn trial is expected in the second half of 2026.
The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation, established by Houston businessman and philanthropist Vijay Goradia and his wife Marie, has previously awarded grants to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for translational research and clinical trials.
AC Immune reported positive interim results from the Phase 2 VacSYn trial in December 2025. The data indicated a favorable safety profile, antibody responses, evidence of target engagement, and clinical signals. Despite the promising trial data, shares have declined 32% year-to-date and currently trade at $2.12, near the lower end of their 52-week range of $1.65 to $4.00. InvestingPro subscribers have access to 10 additional exclusive tips about ACIU’s financial health and valuation metrics.
ACI-7104.056 is designed to generate an antibody response against pathological oligomeric alpha-synuclein to inhibit spreading and neurodegeneration in early Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates contributes to neuron degeneration in the brain and plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases.
AC Immune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on precision therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other indications. The company’s pipeline includes candidates in Phase 2 and Phase 3 development.
In other recent news, AC Immune SA has made several noteworthy announcements. The company reported that its TDP-43 PET tracer, ACI-19626, showed increased uptake in the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared to healthy controls, based on Phase 1 data. Additionally, AC Immune has dosed the first patients in Cohort AD4 of its Phase 1b/2 ABATE trial, which evaluates the ACI-24 immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease. This development has triggered a $12 million milestone payment from Takeda, as part of their collaboration agreement.
In leadership news, AC Immune announced that its co-founder and CEO, Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, will retire at the upcoming Annual General Meeting after 23 years with the company. Meanwhile, Leerink Partners reiterated an Outperform rating and a $9.00 price target for AC Immune following an amendment to its collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly. This amendment pertains to the Morphomer Tau program, highlighting ongoing interest in targeting intracellular Tau for Alzheimer’s disease prevention. These recent developments reflect AC Immune’s active engagement in advancing its therapeutic programs and collaborations.
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