Denali Therapeutics Appoints Carole Ho, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Denali Therapeutics Inc. ("Denali"), a biotechnology company focused on developing effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that Carole Ho, M.D., has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development. In this role, Dr. Ho will lead the translational and clinical development activities at Denali and serve on the Executive Leadership Team.

Dr. Ho most recently served as Vice President of Early Clinical Development at Genentech, where she headed the early clinical development for all indications outside of oncology. She brings more than a decade of experience in drug development across multiple therapeutic areas including neurology.

"Carole is an outstanding neurologist and physician scientist with a excellent track record of industry leadership," said Dr. Ryan Watts, Co-Founder, Acting CEO and CSO of Denali. "Carole brings extensive clinical development expertise to Denali and shares our dedication to discover and develop effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases."

"I am thrilled to join Denali's leadership team, to contribute to the company's focus on translational medicine and to advance its clinical pipeline. I share the team's conviction that the time is right to accelerate the development of drugs for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases," said Dr. Ho.

During Dr. Ho's eight years at Genentech, she held positions of increasing responsibility across both the early and late stage clinical development groups with development oversight for multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Ho also held positions of Group Medical Director of Rheumatology and Group Medical Director of Personalized Health Care for Inflammatory diseases. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Ho held a faculty appointment in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University and was subsequently a Medical Director at Johnson and Johnson. She received her undergraduate degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College and her M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed her medical internship and neurology residency at Harvard Medical School and served as Chief Resident of Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital.

About Denali Therapeutics Inc.

Denali Therapeutics Inc. ("Denali") is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS and others. Denali was founded by scientists, industry experts and investors who share the vision that recent scientific insights into the genetic causes and biological processes underlying neurodegenerative disease, together with new translational medicine tools, offer an unprecedented opportunity to discover and develop effective medicines. Denali is rigorously pursuing a science-driven approach to translational medicine and clinical development. Founding investors include Fidelity Biosciences, ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures and the Alaska Permanent Fund (represented by Crestline Investors). To learn more, visit www.denalitherapeutics.com.