SIRION Biotech GmbH announced that it signed a license and collaboration agreement with Denali Therapeutics, to develop adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to enable therapeutics to cross the blood-brain barrier for clinical applications in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and certain other diseases of the CNS. Once again SIRION’s strategic alliance partner Prof. Dr. Dirk Grimm from the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD) is a key contributor to this highly innovative development. Main terms of the agreement include development expenses, upfront and contingent milestone payments to SIRION Biotech, and additional low-to-mid single digit royalties on net sales resulting from certain future products or therapies. AAV vectors are considered the most promising gene delivery system for therapeutic applications. Denali Therapeutics, together with SIRION Biotech and Dirk Grimm, will combine their proprietary technology platforms to create a next generation of AAV vectors. The goal is to develop new and modified AAV capsids exhibiting a safe product profile with improved specificity and high efficiency for therapeutic drug delivery to the brain at therapeutic levels to effectively treat patients.