NeuroTherapia also plans to use funding from this round to study NTRX-07 in a preclinical model of ARIA, or amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, a side effect of some Alzheimer’s medications that can result in brain swelling or small bleeding, in conjunction with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
The company believes NTRX-07 “may reduce or prevent the ARIA side effect associated with monoclonal antibody treatment and/or improve the benefits of these therapies.” This could lead to additional trials of NTRX-07 used in combination with the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
NeuroTherapia was founded by the Clinic and two of its physician-scientists in 2015. It’s focused on creating therapeutics that obstruct microglia cells, which express proteins that lead to inflammation in the central nervous system, without affecting the clearance of toxic beta amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brain and is a major feature of Alzheimer’s disease.
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In 2020, the company closed on an $8.8 million Series A financing round. Its president and CEO, Tony Giordano, has served in leadership positions at multiple biotech companies.
Research into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias has seen significant investment in recent years. A $1.2 trillion funding package signed by President Joe Biden last March included a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research at the National Institutes of Health.
NeuroTherapia plans to raise additional funds for its second close in six months. It says that funding will lead to the development of “a recently discovered second generation molecule for a separate indication in which neuroinflammation plays a major role.”
NeuroTherapia did not respond to Crain’s request for comment. A spokesperson for Cleveland Clinic said no one was available for interviews on Wednesday, August 7.
This story first appeared in Crain's Cleveland Business.
