Cortexyme raises $76 million to test bacterial protease inhibitor in Alzheimer’s

South San Francisco-based Cortexyme has raised $76 million to fund a unique approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease. Cortexyme was cofounded by University of California, San Francisco, psychiatrist Stephen Dominy, who discovered bacteria and accumulations of a bacterial protease in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. The start-up developed a small-molecule inhibitor of this protease and will begin testing it in a Phase II trial next year. New investors for the series B financing include Sequoia Capital, Vulcan Capital, and Verily Life Sciences. Returning investors include Pfizer and Takeda Ventures.