Alector offers an early peek

Arnon Rosenthal, the chief executive and co-founder of the South San Francisco biotech, is a skeptic of the prevailing “amyloid theory” in Alzheimer's. Instead, his company is betting on the idea that the battle against the disease and other forms of dementia may rely a lot more on the brain’s innate immune system.

Yesterday, the company presented its first data on a drug designed for patients whose dementia is caused by a mutation in a gene for a protein called progranulin, STAT's Matt Herper reports. In a small number of patients, in a small trial, the drug tripled the level of a protein that the company says is associated with fronto-temporal dementia when seen at decreased levels.

Next up: Phase 2.

Read more.