Pfizer invests in neuroscience start-up

Just two weeks after deciding to ax its neuroscience research efforts, Pfizer has signed a deal with neuroinflammation-focused MindImmune Therapeutics. The biotech firm was founded at the University of Rhode Island in 2016 by former Pfizer employees, including MindImmune CEO Stevin Zorn. The start-up will develop drugs that target peripheral immune system cells, aiming to treat conditions of the central nervous system, including Alzheimer’s disease. The deal signals continued interest in alternatives to the classic amyloid-β and tau protein targets of Alzheimer’s drugs, all of which have failed thus far.