AC Immune to Receive Research Grant from Goradia Family for Development of ACI-7104 in Parkinson’s Disease
Rhea-AI Summary
AC Immune (NASDAQ: ACIU) will receive a $4 million research grant from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation to support development of ACI-7104 in early Parkinson’s disease.
The funding extends Part 1 of the Phase 2 VacSYn trial by 2 years to assess long-term safety and efficacy, with final week‑104 data expected in H2 2026. Interim results reported in December 2025 indicated a favorable safety profile, robust antibody responses, target engagement, and encouraging clinical signals.
Positive
- $4 million research grant to support ACI-7104 development in early Parkinson’s
- Grant enables 2-year extension of Part 1 of Phase 2 VacSYn trial
- Final week-104 data from Part 1 expected in H2 2026
- Interim VacSYn data showed favorable safety profile for ACI-7104
- Interim data indicated robust, boostable antibody responses and target engagement
- Interim results showed encouraging clinical signals in early Parkinson’s disease
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – ACIU
In the Jun 11 session, ACIU gained 6.60%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction. Our momentum scanner triggered 2 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22 | Phase 1 tracer data | Positive | -0.7% | Reported higher uptake of TDP-43 PET tracer ACI-19626 in ALS patients. |
| May 12 | CEO transition | Negative | -2.1% | Announced long‑time CEO Andrea Pfeifer’s planned retirement and interim CEO appointment. |
| Apr 30 | Earnings and updates | Positive | +3.4% | Outlined Q1 2026 cash runway into Q4 2027 and multiple 2026 clinical readouts. |
| Apr 30 | ABATE trial progress | Positive | +3.4% | Initiated final ABATE cohort AD4, triggering $12M Takeda milestone and expanding trial. |
| Apr 07 | Lilly deal amendment | Positive | +15.2% | Amended Morphomer Tau deal with CHF 10M upfront and >CHF 1.7B potential milestones. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent history shows generally positive reactions to partnership, trial, and financial updates, with one divergence where favorable Phase 1 tracer data coincided with a mild share decline.
Over the last few months, AC Immune has reported multiple clinically and strategically important updates. In April 2026, a Morphomer Tau amendment with Lilly, carrying over CHF 1.7 billion in potential milestones, saw shares rise 15.19%. ABATE trial progress and related Takeda milestones on April 30 aligned with a 3.41% gain. Q1 2026 financial and pipeline updates the same day also coincided with a positive move. By contrast, new ALS PET tracer Phase 1 data on May 22 led to a modest -0.7% decline.
Key Terms
phase 2 medical
active immunotherapy medical
alpha-synuclein medical
prodromal medical
disease-modifying medical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
AC Immune to Receive Research Grant from Goradia Family for Development of ACI-7104 in Parkinson’s Disease
- Grant supports extension of Part 1 of Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104
- Planned extension of Part 1 will assess long-term safety and efficacy of ACI-7104 for an additional 2 years
- Final data from Part 1 of VacSYn trial expected in H2 2026
Lausanne, Switzerland, June 11, 2026 -- AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced it will receive a research grant of
Houston businessman, philanthropist, and cancer survivor Vijay Goradia and his wife, Marie, established the Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation to support health, education, and human services. The Foundation has previously awarded substantial grants to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to speed translational research and clinical trials.
The long-term dataset enabled by this grant will be particularly valuable for individuals with prodromal and early PD, who will likely require prolonged treatment and are expected to benefit from a well-established long-term safety profile.
Vijay Goradia commented: “It is our hope that this grant will contribute to expanding our knowledge of PD and to bringing ACI-7104 to patients in the earliest stages of disease, before its symptoms have irreversibly changed the lives of patients and their families. If realized, its potential to slow the rate of progression would revolutionize the treatment of PD, preserving function and independence for individuals and bringing hope to millions. We are particularly excited and hopeful about the future potential for ACI-7104 to prevent PD, sparing other families from this disease altogether.”
Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “We are honored to receive this grant from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation. ACI-7104 is showing considerable promise in clinical testing. I would like to thank Vijay and Marie Goradia both for their generous contribution and for their recognition of the potential of ACI-7104 as AC Immune continues to advance towards precision prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, including PD.”
Martin Zügel, MD, interim CEO designate of AC Immune and Chair of the Board of Directors, commented: “We thank The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation for this grant in support of our efforts to develop ACI-7104 in early-stage PD. The grant will significantly impact the extension of Part 1 of the VacSYn trial and enable us to generate vital long-term data on the use of the product in patients.”
Positive interim results from the Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104 in early PD were reported in December 2025. These data suggested that targeting a-syn pathology with an active immunotherapy could potentially have a disease-modifying effect and thus slow the rate of progression of PD. The interim results also indicated a favorable safety profile, robust and boostable antibody responses, evidence of target engagement, and encouraging clinical signals. Final results from Part 1 of the trial (to week-104) are expected in H2 2026.
About ACI-7104.056
ACI-7104.056 is an optimized formulation of its clinically validated anti-a-syn predecessor active immunotherapy which generated a target-specific antibody response against pathological oligomeric a-syn to inhibit spreading and downstream neurodegeneration in early Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates has been shown to cause inflammatory stress in cells and contribute to the degeneration of neurons in the brain. It has been known to play a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease.
About AC Immune SA
AC Immune SA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and a global leader in precision prevention for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and NeuroOrphan indications driven by misfolded proteins. The Company’s two clinically validated technology platforms, SupraAntigen® and Morphomer®, fuel its pipeline of first- and best-in-class assets, which currently features a range of therapeutic and diagnostic programs, including candidates in Phase 2 and Phase 3 development. AC Immune has a strong track record of securing strategic partnerships with leading global pharmaceutical companies, resulting in substantial non-dilutive funding to advance its proprietary programs and >
SupraAntigen® is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in the following territories: AU, EU, CH, GB, JP, RU, SG and USA. Morphomer® is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in CA, CN, CH, EU, GB, JP, KR, NO, RU and SG.
The information on our website and any other websites referenced herein is expressly not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this press release.
For further information, please contact:
| SVP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Gary Waanders, Ph.D., MBA AC Immune Phone: +41 21 345 91 91 Email: gary.waanders@acimmune.com | |
| International Media Chris Maggos Cohesion Bureau Phone: +41 79 367 6254 Email: chris.maggos@cohesionbureau.com |
Forward looking statements
This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or AC Immune’s strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “outlook” or “continue,” and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include those described under the captions “Item 3. Key Information – Risk Factors” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in AC Immune’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and AC Immune does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
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