London, 31 March 2025 – Endlyz Therapeutics officially emerges from stealth, unveiling its therapeutic pipeline of small molecule modulators targeting ATP13A2 and ATP10B to restore lysosomal function in Parkinson’s (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company also announces:
- Exclusive collaboration with Prof. Peter Vangheluwe at KU Leuven, a recognised world expert in lysosomal transporters, who joins as a scientific co-founder of the company, to advance lysosomal research and accelerate drug discovery supported by Quantum AI.
- $2.2M Funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) through the Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program.
Endlyz is developing disease-modifying therapeutics to combat endo-lysosomal dysfunction, a key driver of neurodegeneration. Founded in 2021 by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), Endlyz is also backed by additional world-class investors, including Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), AbbVie Ventures, Parkinson’s UK, and the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3) at KU Leuven.
Endlyz is targeting ATP13A2 and ATP10B, polyamine and lipid transporter enzymes, respectively, which are critical for maintaining neuronal health. Both targets contribute to neurodegeneration and are linked to human diseases. Endlyz is advancing its lead small molecule potentiators of ATP13A2, which is encoded by the PD-linked PARK9 gene and is a target recently announced for further exploration in PD selected by MJFF’s Target to Therapies Initiative [1]. The company will seek additional financing in 2025 to advance its lead programme through IND-enabling studies, expand its pipeline, and explore additional indications.
Continuing to build upon these fostered collaborations, grant funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation will be used to drive the discovery of translational biomarkers to bridge preclinical and clinical development.
The exclusive collaboration with Prof. Peter Vangheluwe at KU Leuven will draw upon his many years of research in the field of P-type ATPases and the prior drug discovery efforts of the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3) at KU Leuven to accelerate the company’s drug discovery programmes. This comes as the Vangheluwe lab is collaborating with SandboxAQ, an AI company, to expedite the discovery and testing of candidate drugs to activate the function of ATP10B.[2]
The KU Leuven collaboration complements a longstanding relationship with Oxford University and Endlyz co-founder Professor Richard Wade-Martins, who brings critical expertise in molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease and state of the art translational in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical models.
Prof. Peter Vangheluwe joins Endlyz’s scientific co-founders alongside Dr. Joanna Wolak (CEO), Prof. Richard Wade-Martins (University U of Oxford) and Prof. John Davis (University of Oxford).
“Our small-molecule ATP13A2-targeting series represents a ground-breaking approach to treating Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Joanna Wolak, CEO and co-founder of Endlyz. “By restoring lysosomal function, we aim to slow or halt disease progression rather than merely address symptoms. The growing acknowledgment of the importance of endo-lysosomal pathology in neurodegeneration places Endlyz’s portfolio at the forefront of research in this area. We believe the collaborations we are announcing today will place us in a world-leading position to exploit the therapeutic opportunities for neurodegeneration.”
ENDS
About Endlyz
Endlyz Therapeutics is developing disease-modifying therapeutics to restore endo-lysosomal function and abrogate neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease and other dementias. By leveraging extensive industry experience, a robust investor syndicate, and academic collaborations that provide access to advanced technologies on an exclusive basis, Endlyz is well positioned to lead the industry in its ATP13A2 and ATP10B programmes. Endlyz is backed by leading investors including SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), AbbVie Ventures, Parkinson’s UK, and the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3).
For more information, please contact us at info@endlyz.com
[1]https://www.michaeljfox.org/grant/targets-therapies-initiative
[2]https://nieuws.kuleuven.be/en/content/2025/ku-leuven-and-sandboxaq-partner-to-accelerate-the-search-for-parkinsons-treatments-with-ai-1
