Biotech Showcase™ 2016: Interview: Cenna puts its own spin on trusted amyloid beta target

Amyloid beta is a well-established target in Alzheimer’s disease, and yet there have been many failures in this development space. Cenna Biosciences Founder and CEO Nazneen Dewji explains to “The Pink Sheet” Senior Writer Emily Hayes why she thinks her company’s approach could succeed. Many approaches in the past have involved targeting enzymes that cleave amyloid beta out of its precursor, amyloid precursor protein (APP), resulting in a lot of off-target effects, Dewji explains. Also, drugs were given too late, when the damage was already done. In contrast, Cenna has developed technology that creates peptide drug candidates targeting APP. Cenna Biosciences is a spin-off of UCSD that has been funded to date by the National Institutes of Health. Dewji discusses early development plans that will put Cenna’s theories to the test.
Interviewee: Nazneen Dewji – CEO, Cenna Biosciences
Interviewer: Emily Hayes – Senior Writer, "The Pink Sheet"