AC IMMUNE SA

Their core work

AC Immune SA is a Lausanne-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused exclusively on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In the H2020 ecosystem, they contribute as a specialist industry partner, bringing drug discovery and biomarker expertise into large pan-European research consortia. Their H2020 footprint spans two complementary dimensions: real-world evidence generation and health economics (ROADMAP) and biological biomarker platforms for neurodegeneration (EPND). As a private company embedded in academic-led consortia, they translate basic research findings into clinically and commercially actionable intelligence.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earliest H2020 engagement (ROADMAP, 2016–2018), AC Immune's contribution centred on real-world outcomes data, health economics, and patient-centred evidence — reflecting an industry perspective on Alzheimer's disease burden and care pathways. By 2021, the focus shifted decisively toward biological biomarkers and a broader neurodegenerative disease scope (EPND, adding Parkinson's), signalling a move from outcomes research toward the upstream scientific infrastructure of disease detection and staging. The trajectory suggests a company deepening its investment in early diagnosis tools and biomarker-driven development pipelines rather than health-system or payer-facing work.

AC Immune is moving toward pan-neurodegeneration biomarker infrastructure, making them a relevant partner for consortia targeting early diagnosis, disease staging, or therapeutic target validation across Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

How they like to work

AC Immune participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never led an H2020 project — which is typical for a clinical-stage company that benefits from collaborative data access and validation without bearing the administrative burden of coordination. Their presence in consortia with 47 unique partners across 14 countries points to large, multi-stakeholder research platforms rather than focused bilateral collaborations. This makes them a reliable specialist node: they bring industry credibility and disease-specific depth, while academic and hospital partners drive coordination.

AC Immune has built a network of 47 unique consortium partners across 14 countries through just two projects, indicating they join large, broad platforms rather than small focused teams. Their geographic reach is solidly pan-European, consistent with the scale of neurodegenerative disease research infrastructure needed to collect meaningful cohort data.

What sets them apart

AC Immune occupies a rare niche as a private, non-SME industry partner embedded in publicly funded neurodegenerative disease consortia — they bring commercial drug and diagnostic development context that pure academic groups lack, without the scale or inertia of a Big Pharma partner. Their dual focus on both real-world evidence (health economics, patient outcomes) and upstream biomarker science means they can add value at multiple stages of a research consortium, from disease characterisation through to translational readiness. For a consortium seeking industry co-validation of a biomarker or outcomes platform for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, AC Immune offers credibility and a direct link to clinical-stage development pipelines.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EPND
  Running until 2026, this is AC Immune's most recent and longest commitment — a European-scale platform for neurodegenerative disorders that broadens their scope beyond Alzheimer's to include Parkinson's and positions them at the centre of emerging EU biomarker infrastructure.
• ROADMAP
  As their first H2020 project, ROADMAP demonstrated AC Immune's early strategic choice to engage on real-world evidence and health economics for Alzheimer's — an unusual angle for a biotech company and evidence of a deliberate policy-facing dimension in their research strategy.