Denali Therapeutics to deliver opening plenary address at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026, spotlighting breakthroughs in crossing the blood-brain barrier with biologic therapies

Denali Therapeutics has announced that its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Watts, Ph.D., will open the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference with a plenary address entitled “Accelerating the Discovery and Development of Medicines for Neurodegeneration,” at the event running July 12 to 15 in London. Dr. Watts will explore recent scientific advances and emerging opportunities, covering new insights into disease biology, the expanding role of biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment assessment, and the potential of therapeutics to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain more effectively.

“We are entering a new era of drug development for Alzheimer’s disease, driven by significant developments in biology, biomarkers and the blood-brain barrier, which has been a major hurdle for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease,” said Dr. Watts. “At Denali, our work has focused on solving the challenge of brain delivery so that people living with neurologic diseases such as Alzheimer’s can benefit from the power of biotherapeutics. We are excited to be part of the community working to transform the lives of millions of individuals and families worldwide by applying these scientific breakthroughs to deliver the next generation of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Denali has developed and clinically validated its proprietary TransportVehicle technology, a platform engineered to shuttle biologic therapies including antibodies, enzymes, and oligonucleotides across the blood-brain barrier by harnessing the body’s natural iron transport system via the transferrin receptor. In March 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to AVLAYAH (tividenofusp alfa-eknm), an enzyme replacement therapy for the neurological manifestations of Hunter syndrome in presymptomatic or symptomatic paediatric patients weighing at least 5 kg prior to advanced neurological impairment, making it the first and only FDA-approved biologic specifically designed to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Denali’s pipeline of investigational TransportVehicle-enabled candidates includes DNL628 and DNL921, directed at tau and amyloid beta respectively, the two defining pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.

DNL628 is enabled by Denali’s Oligonucleotide TransportVehicle and targets the MAPT gene responsible for encoding tau, a protein closely linked to cognitive deterioration. Preclinical work demonstrated that the Oligonucleotide TransportVehicle achieved broad and consistent distribution of antisense oligonucleotides across the central nervous system, reaching deeper brain structures following intravenous administration more effectively than intrathecal delivery. The first participants in Denali’s Phase 1b study of DNL628 received treatment in the first half of 2026, with clinical safety and biomarker proof-of-concept data anticipated in 2027.

DNL921 is enabled by Denali’s Antibody TransportVehicle and is designed to break down amyloid plaques. Preclinical findings published in the journal Science showed that the Antibody TransportVehicle enhanced brain distribution while reducing the risk of swelling and microbleeds collectively known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, compared to conventional antibody treatment. The data suggest that TransportVehicle-enabled delivery of immunotherapy bypasses amyloid-laden larger vessels by travelling through smaller capillaries, potentially offering a way to reduce the amyloid-related imaging abnormality risk that has been associated with earlier anti-amyloid therapies. A Clinical Trial Application for DNL921 was submitted in the first half of 2026, and pending regulatory clearance, a Phase 1/1b clinical trial is expected to begin, with clinical safety and biomarker proof-of-concept data potentially available in 2027.

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Related Topics and Keywords

Alzheimer’s, blood-brain barrier, denali therapeutics