A BACE1 antibody, developed in Leuven by researchers at the ‘VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease research’ has been exclusively licensed in a collaboration agreement with Denali Therapeutics. Denali was founded by former Genentech executives, and plans to take on diseases that pharmaceutical companies have long tried—and failed—to treat, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.

Pre-clinical development is underway for a selection of six different therapeutic leads. One of these six involves a bispecific antibody to treat Alzheimer’s disease. It would target both BACE1 (one of the enzymes involved in the production of amyloid beta peptides) and tau.