As a new study spotlights a growing role for LRRK2 in Parkinson’s, Denali clears an early trial hurdle
Hard on the heels of new research that points to a much wider role for LRRK2 in Parkinson’s disease than had earlier been believed, investigators at Denali say they were able to nail down some hard — though still very early — clinical data to back up their lead effort in the field.
The biotech, run by a crew of ex-Genentech researchers out to blaze some new trails in the disaster-prone neurodegeneration field, has focused heavily on the genetic triggers believed to play a role in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In a Phase I study, they outlined evidence that DNL201, a small molecule inhibitor of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, hit the biomarkers they were aiming at as they zero in on the ideal dose for more advanced human studies. And that builds on earlier work demonstrating their drug’s ability to tamp down on the protein in healthy volunteers.
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