Denali starts dosing Parkinson’s patients as it tests its small molecule inhibitor DNL151

Denali Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing a broad portfolio of product candidates for neurodegenerative diseases, has started dosing in a Phase 1b clinical study of LRRK2 inhibitor DNL151 in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and the launch of its Engage Parkinson’s website.

Carole Ho, CMO, said: “We believe that this study will provide additional important safety and biomarker data in patients to inform the choice between either DNL151 or DNL201 for potential registrational trials.”

DNL151 is a small molecule inhibitor of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2). LRRK2 is a regulator of lysosomal function, which is impaired in Parkinson’s disease and may be restored by LRRK2 inhibition. Inhibition of LRRK2 activity may potentially slow the progression of disease in all patients with Parkinson’s disease based on restoration of lysosomal function.

Ryan Watts, CEO is encouraged by the progress with the company’s LRRK2 clinical program. He said: “The launch of our Engage Parkinson’s website is intended to strengthen our engagement and interactions with the Parkinson’s disease patient community. This is an important part of our efforts to connect with patients who may be eligible for our current and future clinical trials.”