News

NRG Therapeutics has announced that its NRG5051 inhibitor has secured a $5m grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF).

The inhibitor is a first-in-class mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), affecting the brain when taken orally. In vitro models have demonstrated that the inhibitor is able to protect mitochondrial function and prevent neuronal cell death. NRG5051 therefore has the potential to be used for the treatments of Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where preclinical models have shown that NRG5051 has demonstrated it significantly reduces neuroinflammation in these diseases.

The grant will support manufacturing for the drug substance, with an overall goal of enabling studies that advance NGR5051 into first-in-human clinical studies in 2025.

Co-founder and CEO of NRG Therapeutics Dr Neil Miller said, “The selection of our first development candidate is a major milestone for the company. NRG5051 has been shown in vivo in preclinical models of Parkinson’s and ALS to prevent the death of brain cells and to reduce neuroinflammation, and we are excited by its potential to halt or significantly slow the progression of disease in individuals with Parkinson’s and ALS. We are grateful for MJFF grant support to help advance NRG5051 into the clinic as quickly as possible.”

The grant will further support the validation and identification of new biomarkers that will be used to determine if NRG5051 is inhibiting the mPTP in the brain in addition to producing the desired effects in clinical trials. A final benefit of the grant is to enable the development of a safe low-dose PET tracer that could be used to demonstrate central nervous system (CNS) engagement in phase 1 clinical trials for NRG5051.