Biotech seeks exosome-based biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease as it readies for key clinical trials in ALS and Alzheimer’s.
Clinical stage biopharma NeuroSense Therapeutics has joined forces with multinational pharmaceutical manufacturing firm Lonza in a collaboration aimed at advancing the understanding and treatment of severe neurological conditions. The collaboration will focus on identifying biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases to support early diagnosis and improve treatment strategies.
In a separate development, NeuroSense also announced a registered direct offering and concurrent private placement, aiming to raise approximately $4.5 million as the company seeks to bolster its working capital and support ongoing research and development efforts.
The new partnership will integrate Lonza’s Dev-on-Demand solution, enabling NeuroSense to access Lonza’s process development resources, particularly its capabilities in developing methods using Neuron-Derived Exosomes (NDEs), tiny vesicles that encapsulate various molecules shed by neurons. These NDEs, found in bodily fluids like plasma, hold promise as indicators of neurological health, offering insights into disease progression and treatment efficacy.
Central to NeuroSense’s efforts is PrimeC, its lead drug candidate for ALS. A novel combination of two FDA-approved drugs (Ciprofloxacin and Celecoxib), PrimeC aims to inhibit the progression of ALS by regulating microRNA synthesis, reducing neuroinflammation, and influencing iron accumulation. Having received FDA orphan drug status for PrimeC and conducted two clinical trials which showed the drug to be safe and tolerable, with promising signs of slowing disease progression, the company is currently preparing for a robust Phase 2b/3 clinical trial.
“We believe this collaboration could be a game-changer for the ALS and neurodegeneration field, as findings in such biomarkers may advance early diagnosis and treatment, as well as expedite the regulatory pathway for new treatments for the millions of people who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases,” said Alon Ben-Noon, CEO of NeuroSense. “Collaborating with Lonza enables us to tap into some of the world’s top experts in exosomes-based therapies research to develop another important measure of PrimeC’s efficacy.”
NeuroSense is also working to develop potential Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatments based on the foundations of PrimeC, having conducted preclinical studies in models of both diseases, and has begun enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial in Alzheimer’s patients.
