Alector, Inc. (ALEC)

Rewiring Brain Immunity

Alector takes an unconventional angle on neurodegenerative disease: instead of directly mopping up toxic proteins, the company activates microglia—the brain’s resident immune cells—to do the cleanup themselves. This platform targets diseases where proteins like amyloid-beta and tau accumulate, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. The approach rests on the insight that neurodegeneration isn’t just a protein-folding problem; it’s an immune system problem. Alector’s lead programs modulate innate immune checkpoints, essentially removing the “off switches” that prevent immune cells from acting.

The company was founded around this neuroimmunology thesis and has built partnerships with major pharmaceutical firms to advance its candidates through clinical trials. Like other biotech companies at the clinical stage, Alector operates on capital from equity markets and strategic partnerships, investing heavily in regulatory pathways while revenue remains contingent on eventual drug approvals.