Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the pharma sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 5 promising neurology startups.
Heat Map: 5 Top Neurology Startups
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of pharma. For this research, we identified 242 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing innovative neurology solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 242 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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APRINOIA Therapeutics – Tauopathy Diagnostics & Therapeutics
In some neurodegenerative diseases, hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins leads to the accumulation of tangles in the brain. These neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are being investigated for their role in causing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as well as indications in other neurological disorders. Emerging MedTech and pharma startups are working to detect NFTs and develop therapies to rectify the dysfunction in the brain.
Taiwanese startup APRINOIA Therapeutics develops positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracers to detect the presence of NFT in the brain. The startup’s technology monitors the progression of AD and tauopathies to prompt early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. In addition, APRINOIA’s technology allows for the development of new therapeutics against disease by accurately assessing the efficacy of the development program. The startup also creates a library of compounds that show therapeutic efficacy to AD and tauopathies. The startup’s pipeline includes APN-1607 Tau PET Tracer, an imaging diagnostic solution that is currently in Phase III clinical trials.
BIOTTS – Universal Transdermal Therapeutic System
Drug bioavailability is also a crucial metric in pharmacology that many research and development (R&D) teams are working to optimize. Drugs that dissolve slowly in water or have insufficient time for absorption reduces bioavailability and invalidates the purpose of the drug. This encourages pharma startups to develop advanced technologies that ensure that the drugs exhibit the intended therapeutic benefits.
Polish startup BIOTTS builds its multi-transdermal carrier-Y (MTC-Y) platform to increase bioavailability while mitigating side-effects. The MTC-Y carrier is a deep penetrating transdermal system to transport hydrophilic substances, big molecules, and proteins through the skin. Using its technology, the startup offers its patent-pending MTC-A4 mixture, a topical anesthetic to increase bioavailability and permeability on nerve endings located in the spinous layer of the skin. MTC-A4 is currently undergoing preclinical tests.
Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies – Treating Neuroinflammatory Conditions
Emerging pharma companies are researching the role of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in regulating sleep, moods, appetite, memory, and fertility. The ECS binds different endocannabinoid receptors and also contains enzymes that break down the receptors after their function is completed. The ECS is currently linked to various processes in the body including pain, inflammation, and skin and nerve functions, among others.
Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies is a British startup focusing on drug development for indications in neurology, pain, immunology, and oncology. The startup’s initial candidate, OCT461201, is a CB2 agonist, a target for a range of neuroinflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases. OCT461201 is currently under proof-of-concept (POC) studies for neuropathic pain and other conditions.
GliaPharm – Targeting Glial Cells
Neuroglia also called glial cells or simply glia, are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system (CNS) that support and protect neurons. Glia does not produce electrical impulses and maintains system homeostasis. A large portion of the human brain consists of glia and outnumber the number of neurons as well. Pharma startups are investigating the impact of neuroglial failure in causing various neurological disorders.
GliaPharm is a Swiss startup that develops treatments targeting glial cells to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. The startup utilizes its proprietary drug development technology platform, GliaX, to stimulate the neuroprotective action of glial cells. GliaPharm’s pipeline includes a new class of agents that help maintain cognitive functions.
Disarm – Axonal Degeneration Treatment
Neurodegenerative diseases usually directly correlate with aging processes within the nervous system. Axonal degeneration affects neuronal functions that happen with certain stimuli, such as mechanical damage, axonal transport defects, or by drugs used for chemotherapy. Emerging pharma companies focus on axonal functions as its degeneration occurs much before clinical symptoms of neurological disorders. This enables them to develop preventive therapies to delay the onset of the neurodegenerative process.
The US-based startup Disarm Therapeutics develops disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with neurological conditions. Disarm utilizes its proprietary product engine to target SARM1, the central driver for axonal degeneration. The startup’s novel SARM1 inhibitors work to disarm the degenerative processes such as inflammation, intraocular pressure, trauma, and the production of toxins, among others.
What About The Other 237 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 neurology solutions showcased above are promising examples out of 242 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
