Sanofi SA’s Genzyme Corp. has agreed to pay Denali Therapeutics Inc. $125 million to kickstart development of multiple small-molecule inhibitors of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), a signaling protein that regulates inflammation and cell death in a variety of diseases. The candidates could potentially benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis. Should all succeed, Denali could earn nearly $1.1 billion in milestone payments from Sanofi.