Roche signed a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Manifold Bio to develop next‑generation brain shuttles designed to ferry therapeutic payloads across the blood‑brain barrier. The multi‑year pact carries an upfront payment of $55 million and potential value that could exceed $2 billion, reflecting Roche’s push to accelerate neurology programs requiring improved CNS delivery. Manifold’s spatial biology and proprietary shuttle technology will be applied to Roche’s neurology portfolio to enhance brain uptake and distribution of biologics and other large molecules. Roche said the collaboration complements its advancing Phase 3 efforts for brain‑targeted therapeutics and underscores industry demand for transport solutions that expand the treatable target space within the CNS. The deal illustrates big‑pharma appetite for platform partners that de‑risk CNS delivery — a bottleneck that has long constrained neurological drug development.