NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — ImmunoBrain, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Rochelle Walensky to its board of directors. The company is currently conducting a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, with encouraging interim study data. Its lead drug candidate, IBC-Ab002, is a proprietary antibody, tailored to AD and other forms of dementia, that targets an inhibitory immune checkpoint pathway.
Dr. Walensky, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, spent her career in infectious disease clinical practice, research, and policy, with a particular focus on the promotion of global access to HIV prevention, screening, and care. She served as the 19th director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Walensky also serves as chair of scientific council at the Global Brain Care Coalition.
“I am truly inspired by Professor Michal Schwartz’s pioneering discoveries related to the brain-immune relationship and her groundbreaking approach to treating neurodegeneration by targeting neuroinflammation,” said Dr. Walensky. “Almost everyone has been either directly or indirectly touched by dementia. With the aging population expected to triple over the next few decades, I am deeply engaged in understanding the far-reaching implications of this trend. The potential public health impact of neurodegenerative diseases represents one of the most pressing challenges of our time.”
“I welcome Dr. Walensky to the ImmunoBrain board with great pride,” said Chairman of the Board Avraham Kadar, MD. “As physician-scientists, Dr. Walensky and I share a commitment to dogma-breaking science and patient-centered care. Throughout her career, and at the highest levels of leadership, Dr. Walensky has pursued public health as a personal mission, and she understands the urgency of combatting neurodegenerative diseases. There is a critical need to bring rigorously validated, innovative therapies to patients, and Dr. Walensky has the dedication and experience to help make our vision a reality.”
About ImmunoBrain
Founded in 2015, ImmunoBrain builds on over 25 years of research led by Scientific Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Professor Michal Schwartz, PhD. Together with her team at the Weizmann Institute of Science, she discovered—contrary to the prevailing dogma at the time—that the brain is tightly dependent on support from the immune system for its maintenance and repair. Her research further revealed that age-related decline of immune function plays a key role in brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. These discoveries led to the development of IBC-Ab002, a proprietary Fc-modified anti-PD-L1 antibody, designed and optimized by ImmunoBrain for the treatment of neurological diseases, based on the understanding of its mechanism of action in preclinical studies. The company is currently evaluating IBC-Ab002 in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer’s disease [NCT05551741], supported in part by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association. Topline data from the completed study is expected in Q1 2026.
Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, Award Number R01AG071810. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
ImmunoBrain worked with NU Advisory Partners on the search for the board director.
Contact
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SOURCE ImmunoBrain Checkpoint Inc.
