Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Founded: ~2015
Ticker: Private
Website: alectos.com
Alectos Therapeutics is a Canadian biotechnology company pioneering small-molecule therapeutics targeting enzymes involved in neurodegenerative disease pathology. The company is advancing two major programs: O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury; and GBA2 inhibitors for Parkinson's disease and lysosomal storage disorders, including a partnered program with Biogen[1].
The company has established strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, including a 2022 license agreement with Biogen valued at $15M upfront plus milestones for the GBA2 inhibitor AL01811, and a prior partnership with Merck for early OGA inhibitor clinical development[2].
Alectos builds its pipeline on deep expertise in glycosidase biology and the role of protein post-translational modifications in neurodegeneration:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibition |
| Goal | Increase tau O-GlcNAcylation to reduce pathological tau phosphorylation |
| Indication | Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, acute ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury |
| Stage | Preclinical / IND-enabling |
| Status | Active development |
O-GlcNAcylation is a reversible post-translational modification wherein O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is added to serine and threonine residues by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and removed by O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Tau is extensively O-GlcNAcylated under normal conditions, and this modification competes sterically with phosphorylation at overlapping sites (Ser/Thr-Pro motifs). In Alzheimer's disease, tau O-GlcNAcylation decreases while phosphorylation increases, shifting the balance toward pathological aggregation.
Inhibiting OGA reverses this imbalance:
Alectos repatriated its OGA inhibitor program from Merck after Merck discontinued its Phase 1 OGA inhibitor (MK-8719)[7]. The company is developing next-generation OGA inhibitors with improved selectivity, CNS penetration, and pharmacokinetic properties.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Compound | AL01811 |
| Mechanism | GBA2 (non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase) inhibition |
| Indication | Parkinson's disease, lysosomal storage disorders |
| Stage | Preclinical (licensed to Biogen) |
| Status | Biogen partnership — $15M upfront, milestones |
Deal Details[1:1]:
In June 2022, Alectos entered a license and collaboration agreement with Biogen for AL01811, a GBA2 inhibitor. Under the agreement:
This deal reflects growing industry interest in glucocerebrosidase-related pathways for Parkinson's disease, building on the genetic link between GBA mutations and PD risk established by genome-wide association studies.
Alectos previously partnered with Merck to pioneer the first clinical OGA inhibitor, which progressed through Phase 1 trials. Following Merck's discontinuation of the program (MK-8719), Alectos repatriated the OGA rights and is advancing its own next-generation inhibitor program with improved drug-like properties.
Alectos competes with larger pharmaceutical companies in the OGA inhibitor space:
| Company | Compound | Mechanism | Stage | Indication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrer Internacional | FNP-223 | OGA inhibitor | Phase 2 | PSP |
| Eli Lilly | LY-3372689 | OGA inhibitor | Phase 2 | AD, PSP |
| Roche / AC Immune | RG6289 | OGA inhibitor | Phase 1 | AD |
| Merck | MK-8719 | OGA inhibitor | Discontinued | AD |
| Alectos | OGA program | OGA inhibitor | Preclinical | AD, PD, stroke, TBI |
| Alectos / Biogen | AL01811 | GBA2 inhibitor | Preclinical (Biogen) | PD, LSD |
Competitive Differentiators:
O-GlcNAcylation is increasingly recognized as a critical regulator of neuronal protein function[3:1]. Key research findings:
GBA2 (also known as GANC) is a membrane-associated glucosylceramidase distinct from the lysosomal enzyme GBA (acid beta-glucosidase)[4:1]:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| ~2015 | Company founded in Vancouver, BC |
| 2018 | Partnership with Merck for OGA inhibitor program |
| 2022 | License agreement with Biogen for GBA2 inhibitor AL01811 — $15M upfront |
| 2023 | Merck discontinues MK-8719 OGA inhibitor; Alectos repatriates OGA rights |
| 2024 | Advancing next-generation OGA inhibitor program |
Alectos Therapeutics and Biogen Announce License and Collaboration Agreement. 2022. ↩︎ ↩︎
Alectos Therapeutics. 2026. ↩︎
O-GlcNAc cycling in the brain: implications for neurodegeneration. Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2018. ↩︎ ↩︎
Glucosylceramide metabolism and glycosphingolipid mediators in neurodegeneration. Biochem Soc Trans. 2021. ↩︎ ↩︎
O-GlcNAcase inhibitor as a therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. J Neurochem. 2020. ↩︎
Structure of human OGA with inhibitor reveals basis for selectivity and mechanism. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2019. ↩︎
Therapeutic potential of O-GlcNAcase inhibition in tauopathies. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020. ↩︎