Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABOS) (“Acumen” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that target toxic soluble amyloid b oligomers (AβOs) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional and accredited investors for a private placement of approximately $35.75 million of shares of its common stock at a price of $3.30 per share. Acumen expects to receive gross proceeds from the offering of approximately $35.75 million, before deducting offering expenses.
“This financing from committed institutional investors strongly validates our portfolio and our Enhanced Brain Delivery strategy,” said Daniel O’Connell, Chief Executive Officer of Acumen. “The transaction also underscores confidence in the potential value we are building with amyloid β oligomer-targeted antibodies for Alzheimer’s patients, caregivers and stakeholders in alignment with Acumen’s vision.”
The private placement was led by existing investor RA Capital Management, with participation from other investors, including ADAR1 Capital Management, Sands Capital, and a large investment management firm.
The private placement is expected to close on or about March 16, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Proceeds from the financing are expected to primarily support Acumen’s Enhanced Brain Delivery (EBD) program, including ongoing preclinical development work to support the nomination of a lead clinical candidate molecule, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Submission of an IND with respect to a lead clinical candidate is targeted for mid-2027.
The securities to be sold in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any state or other applicable jurisdictions’ securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state or other jurisdictions’ securities laws. Acumen has agreed to file a registration statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registering the resale of the shares of common stock issued in the private placement, no later than two business days after the filing of its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering of the securities under the resale registration statement will only be made by means of a prospectus.
EBD Non-Human Primate (NHP) Study Results
On March 16, 2026, Acumen also announced certain preclinical data, including in vitro, in vivo and NHP study results, that support development candidates in Acumen’s EBD program, conducted utilizing JCR Pharmaceuticals’ (“JCR”) blood-brain barrier penetrating technology, J-Brain Cargo®. The development candidate results are consistent and predictive across in vitro and in vivo studies, including murine and NHP data. Findings include:
- Enhanced Brain Penetration
- Development candidates achieved 14-40x higher brain levels in NHPs compared to native antibodies at 24 hours
- Low Anemia Risk
- Hematology data in NHPs indicate low potential for anemia with no adverse effects observed
- Subcutaneous Dosing Capability
- Favorable stability profile and enhanced brain delivery support subcutaneous administration with low-volume devices
Acumen’s EBD™ program is part of an ongoing collaboration between Acumen and JCR announced in July 2025. J-Brain Cargo® technology is JCR’s proprietary drug delivery system that efficiently delivers drugs to target tissues, including the central nervous system, through receptor-mediated transcytosis. It is applicable to various modalities including antibodies, enzymes, oligonucleotides, lipid nanoparticles, gene and cell therapy, peptides and decoy receptors.
“We are very pleased with the preclinical EBD candidate profiles generated to date and impressed with the level of expertise contributed by our partner to ensure we exceeded our target profile for the program,” said Jim Doherty, President and Chief Development Officer of Acumen. “Candidates have shown robust in vivo brain penetration in multiple species, hematology endpoints in non-human primates suggestive of a low potential for anemia risk, and stability results supportive of subcutaneous dosing. Ours is the only EBD program in the anti-amyloid space that pairs an amyloid β oligomer-targeting antibody with a validated TfR-targeting antibody technology, underscoring an exciting opportunity to develop a potential best-in-class treatment for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Read more here.