SOURCE Brenig Therapeutics Inc.

Acquires a highly selective and brain penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor from Mwyngil Therapeutics

Company's lead candidate BT-267, a potential best-in-class LRRK2 inhibitor for the treatment for Parkinson's disease, continues advancing in the clinic

SOMERVILLE, Mass., July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brenig Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering AI-powered small-molecule therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced two key executive appointments. David L. Lucchino has been named President and Chief Executive Officer and will also join the company's Board of Directors. Tien Dam, M.D., has been appointed Chief Medical Officer to lead clinical development and advance its neurology pipeline.

Brenig also announced today the acquisition of a pre-clinical candidate, BT-409, a potential best-in-class NLRP3 inhibitor to be studied in Parkinson's disease and that may also have broad neuro-inflammatory applications for diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

"We are thrilled to welcome David and Tien to Brenig at this pivotal time," said Iain Dukes, M.A., D.Phil., Chairman of the Board and a Venture Partner at OrbiMed. "David brings a strong track record of advancing novel technologies through research and clinical milestones, building exceptional teams, and generating value for investors. Tien has deep clinical development expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and direct experience with our lead target. We are delighted to welcome them as we progress our lead Parkinson's disease drug candidate into the next stage of development and expand our neurology pipeline."

Mr. Lucchino has over two decades of life science leadership as an executive, entrepreneur, investor, and advocate. Most recently he was President and CEO of Frequency Therapeutics, Inc., a regenerative medicine company he co-founded with MIT Institute Professor Robert S Langer, that developed treatments for hearing restoration and multiple sclerosis. Prior to Frequency, he co-founded and served as CEO of Semprus BioSciences and was co-founder and managing director of LaunchCyte, a life science venture creation firm.

"I am honored to join Brenig as we work to unlock new therapies for patients living with neurodegenerative diseases," said Lucchino. "This team has built an exceptional foundation, combining clinical neuroscience expertise with cutting-edge AI capabilities. Our lead candidate holds significant potential as a disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson's and our newly acquired asset adds a compelling program to our pipeline."

Dr. Dam joins Brenig from Neumora Therapeutics, where she was Vice President of Clinical Development, leading strategy and execution across neuropsychiatry and neurodegeneration programs. Prior to that, she led movement disorders development at Biogen, overseeing multiple Parkinson's disease programs. She also held clinical leadership roles at Merck and served as a physician-researcher at Columbia University and UC San Diego.

"I am excited to join Brenig at this critical stage," said Dr. Dam. "BT-267's preclinical and early clinical profile offers promise in addressing key challenges in Parkinson's drug development, particularly around brain penetration and selectivity. Our new NLRP3 inhibitor provides a complementary program that may present opportunities to address a range of diseases. I look forward to working with the team to realize the full potential of these assets and to bring urgently needed disease modifying treatments to patients."

BT-409 was acquired from Mwyngil Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotech company founded through a drug discovery accelerator led by Torrey Pines and OrbiMed. It was designed to achieve effective brain-specific NLRP3 inhibition without inducing on- or off-target side effects and has shown to have a promising safety and pharmacokinetic profile in neuroinflammation models. Brenig will initiate pre-IND studies for BT-409 and the Company plans to advance the program into Phase 1 safety studies.

About Brenig's Lead Candidate, BT-267

BT-267 is a selective, brain-penetrant small-molecule inhibitor of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)-a key protein implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Designed to maximize CNS exposure while minimizing peripheral activity, BT-267 offers a differentiated profile aimed at reducing off-target and systemic side effects. BT-267 has demonstrated best-in-class potential in preclinical and clinical studies, showing high brain penetration, minimal peripheral exposure, and a favorable safety and tolerability profile.

Mutations in LRRK2 represent one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson's disease, and dysregulated LRRK2 activity is associated with lysosomal and mitochondrial dysfunction. By precisely targeting this pathway, BT-267 may offer a disease-modifying approach to slowing-or potentially halting-the progression of Parkinson's and related neurodegenerative conditions.

About Brenig Therapeutics
Brenig Therapeutics is a biotechnology company committed to pioneering innovative small molecule therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Through advanced science and leading AI and machine learning discovery models, Brenig aims to deliver transformative solutions to address the root causes of debilitating neurologic conditions. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Somerville, Mass. It is backed by leading life science investors including OrbiMed, NEA, Biogeneration Ventures and Torrey Pines Investment.

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