U.S. drugmaker AbbVie is betting on the potential of the body's immune system to fight Alzheimer's by signing a drug development deal worth more than $200 million with unlisted biotech company Alector.
Under the terms of the agreement AbbVie and Alector have agreed to research a portfolio of antibody targets.
AbbVie said it was paying $205 million upfront and could make a further $20 million equity investment to work with San Francisco-based Alector on the new approach to tackling the memory-robbing disease.
Assuming drugs from the programme eventually make it to marker, the two companies will share profits equally.