ImmunoBrain Checkpoint

ImmunoBrain Checkpoint (IBC) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company established in 2015, developing immune therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The company's approach is based on over two decades of research by Professor Michal Schwartz and her team at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Professor Schwartz, a co-founder and the Chief Scientific Officer, pioneered the concept that the brain's health and repair mechanisms are dependent on the peripheral immune system, a communication pathway that becomes compromised in aging and neurodegenerative conditions. This research led to the development of IBC's lead asset, IBC-Ab002, a proprietary anti-PD-L1 antibody.

The company's business model is centered on the clinical development and commercialization of its immunotherapies. It was founded by Professor Michal Schwartz and Nathan Hevrony, who serves as the Executive Chairman. In January 2024, Dr. Sanjay Keswani, a physician-scientist with leadership experience at companies like Hoffman La Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb, was appointed as President and CEO. IBC's technology was licensed from Yeda, the commercialization arm of the Weizmann Institute. The company has secured funding through various grants, including a $1 million grant from the Alzheimer's Association and the Part the Cloud-Bill Gates Partnership Grant Program in 2020, and a $5 million grant from the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) in 2021.

IBC's core therapeutic strategy targets the peripheral immune system rather than the brain directly. The lead product, IBC-Ab002, is an antibody designed to transiently inhibit the PD-L1 immune checkpoint. This action is intended to reactivate the immune system to help reduce local brain inflammation, clear toxic proteins like amyloid and tau, and ultimately protect the brain from functional loss. Unlike continuous checkpoint inhibition in oncology, IBC-Ab002 is administered intermittently, for example, once every three months, and has a short half-life, which may improve its safety profile. The company is investigating IBC-Ab002 in a Phase 1b clinical trial for early Alzheimer's disease across centers in Israel, the UK, and the Netherlands. Beyond Alzheimer's, ImmunoBrain is exploring the use of its checkpoint inhibitors for other conditions, including an early-stage program for ALS.

Keywords: neurodegenerative diseases, immunotherapy, Alzheimer's treatment, anti-PD-L1 antibody, immune checkpoint inhibitors, brain repair, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical, Michal Schwartz, Weizmann Institute of Science, IBC-Ab002, neuroimmunology, peripheral immune system, dementia, tau pathology, amyloid beta, ALS, brain inflammation, Yeda, disease-modifying therapies, Part the Cloud