Ex vivo comparison of ACU193 and lecanemab reveals binding differences in mouse brain

Immunotherapy targeting amyloid beta (Aβ) is limited by amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), hypothesized to result from the direct binding of anti-Aβ monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to vascular cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), eliciting an immune response.

Immunofluorescent staining was used to characterize ex vivo plaque and vascular binding of recombinant FDA-approved lecanemab and clinical candidate sabirnetug (ACU193) in 30 min and 24 h fixed APP:hE4 mouse brain tissue.

Fixation time was a key factor influencing Aβ antigen labeling with prolonged fixation differentially affecting pan-Aβ and mAb immunoreactivity. Compared with ACU193, lecanemab showed greater cortical plaque and cerebellar vascular labeling and encompassed a larger fraction of total pan-Aβ and β-pleated-sheet-rich signal, reflecting both mAb target abundance and selectivity.

These findings emphasize that experimental protocols and antibody properties jointly shape the observed mAb binding patterns and highlight differences that may contribute to antibody-specific ARIA risk observed clinically.