Brenig Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on developing innovative small-molecule therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and utilizing a proprietary AI-driven discovery platform, has appointed Megan McGill, M.D., Ph.D., as its new Chief Executive Officer. Dr. McGill will also serve on the company’s Board of Directors.
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Iain Dukes, M.A., D.Phil., Chairman of the Board and venture partner at OrbiMed, welcomed Dr. McGill to the leadership team. He highlighted that she brings exceptional expertise in drug development that will help advance Brenig’s Parkinson’s disease therapies and expand the company’s pipeline of neurological treatments.
Dr. McGill has over ten years of experience across clinical medicine, drug discovery, translational neuroscience, and biotech company building. She previously held executive roles at Epitor Therapeutics, Regel Therapeutics, and HitchBio, and contributed to business development and strategy at BridgeBio and Regenxbio. She earned her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in neuroimaging and MRI physics from the New York University School of Medicine, completed residency training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and NYU Radiology, and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Her background positions her to guide Brenig toward clinical and organizational growth.
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Dr. McGill stated that neurological disorders affect millions and remain an area of significant unmet medical need. She expressed honor at joining Brenig’s team to accelerate a pipeline that turns promising biology into therapies capable of meaningfully improving patient outcomes. Brenig also announced that David L. Lucchino has stepped down from the company and wished him success in his future endeavors.
Founded in 2021 through the Torrey Pines Investment and OrbiMed venture incubator, Brenig completed a $65 million Series A financing in July 2024. The round was led by NEA and included participation from BioGeneration Ventures, OrbiMed, Torrey Pines, and an additional U.S.-based healthcare investor. Brenig is advancing BT-267, a best-in-class LRRK2 inhibitor intended as a disease-modifying treatment for idiopathic and LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s disease, with proof-of-concept studies expected to begin in the second half of 2026. The company is also developing BT-409, a brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor, through IND-enabling studies in preparation for clinical trials in healthy volunteers and Parkinson’s patients.
BT-267 is a selective small-molecule inhibitor of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, designed for brain permeability while minimizing peripheral side effects. Preclinical studies have shown strong brain penetration, limited peripheral exposure, and a favorable safety profile. Brenig initiated a first-in-human trial in November 2024 to evaluate BT-267’s safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers. Topline results from the Phase 1a SAD and MAD studies, conducted in Australia, are expected by the end of the second quarter of 2026, with proof-of-concept studies in Parkinson’s patients planned by the end of the year.
BT-409 is a novel small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitor designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and address neuroinflammation across multiple neurodegenerative conditions. Preclinical research indicates it may slow neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, modulate amyloid- and tau-associated inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease, reduce demyelination and neuronal damage in multiple sclerosis, and mitigate tau-related degeneration in progressive supranuclear palsy. Brenig plans to advance BT-409 through clinical development and commercialization, with Phase 1a/b trials in healthy volunteers and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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