Lonza Pharma & Biotech and Denali Therapeutics have announced an exclusive strategic partnership on Denali’s biologic pipeline products for neurodegenerative diseases.

The agreement covers all stages of the development and manufacturing. 

To treat neurodegenerative diseases biologics should be able to cross the tightly controlled blood-brain barrier (BBB). Denali is engineering its biologic product candidates.

Through this partnership Denali will have access to Lonza’s extensive expertise and technologies from cell-line development using the GS Xceed Gene Expression System to process development and manufacturing at facilities in Slough (UK) and Hayward, CA (USA).

In addition, Lonza’s in-house Drug Product Services in Basel (CH) will focus on ensuring that Denali’s finished product candidates are designed with optimal formulation, stability and delivery system in mind.

Denali aims to discover and develop therapies to defeat degeneration, including diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.

Denali selects its targets based on validated genetic drivers of neurodegeneration, develops molecules that effectively cross the BBB and uses biomarkers to select the right patient population and demonstrate target and pathway engagement in clinical trials.