Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the pharma industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups tackling strokes.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Startups Tackling Strokes out of 108
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2.093.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 108 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 pharma startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 103 solutions tackling strokes, get in touch.
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Aurum Biosciences Re-Oxygenates Ischemic Regions
Strokes resulting from hypoxic conditions lead to zero oxygen supply to the brain. Any delay in clot removal adversely impacts brain functions because the regions that are not oxygenated by blood flow die off. To minimize this risk, startups are developing drugs that deliver oxygen to the area in the brain impacted by the blood clot.
Scottish startup Aurum develops novel oxygen carriers. ABL-101, the startup’s lead drug candidate, carries oxygen to the ischemic region. Since the drug molecules are much smaller than red blood cells, they bypass the clot and efficiently deliver oxygen to tissues starved of oxygen via alternate small blood vessels, thus preventing cell death. ABL-101 works synergistically with the current therapies to treat acute ischaemic stroke patients.
Sinntaxis offers Stroke Recovery Therapeutics
Stroke rehabilitation solutions after that aim to enhance brain function often have limited impact. Plus, there are only a few drugs that support rehabilitation for stroke recovery. This is why pharma startups are developing therapeutics that complement rehabilitation and help patients regain brain functionality.
Swedish startup Sinntaxis develops therapeutics that enhance recovery of brain functions after a stroke. The startup’s therapeutics inhibit mGlur5 to restore brain function by stimulating the healthy sections of the damaged brain. This remodels brain connectivity by synaptic remodeling and the treatment is effective even after extended periods post brain damage. The combination of treatment of mGluR5 inhibitors with training synergistically enhances recovery of brain functions.
NTS develops a Neuro-Active Drug
The release of endogenous cell components to the neuron extracellular medium triggers central nervous system alarms after a stroke. This leads to inflammation and further cell damage in the brain and subsequent worsening of the brain lesion. Moreover, current drugs have an impact only when given in a limited time. To cater to the patient population who have surpassed the time frame, startups are developing solutions to minimize the damage from inflammation following a stroke.
US-based startup NTS develops neuro-active molecule drugs. NTS-104, the startup’s pro-drug, is soluble in plasma where it converts into NTS-105. NTS-105 has brain penetrance and achieves concentrations in the brain modulating the key target receptors protecting neurons from inflammation, ischemia, and hypoxia. This reduces the damages caused by stroke. The solutions target underlying pathophysiologic drivers and processes that lead to structural damage and functional deficits in stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Op2Lysis provides a Thrombolytic Agent
Strokes lead to compressive hematoma which have the potential to cause major disability. Further, the rupture of the cerebral artery as a result of the stiffening of the vessels causes brain hemorrhage. The blood accumulates outside the vessels and leads to an increase in the pressure responsible for brain damage. Therefore, for effective treatment of brain hemorrhage, startups are developing thrombolytic agents to liquefy hematoma with minimal invasion.
French startup Op2Lysis offers a thrombolytic agent for hemorrhagic stroke. O2L-001, the startup’s lead drug, tackles hemorrhagic strokes to reduce subsequent severe disability. It dissolves the intracerebral hematoma formed following a hemorrhagic stroke. The drug is administered inside the hematoma via a thin catheter by a neurosurgeon. The liquefied blood is then eliminated following the lytic action of the drug.
FreeOx designs Neuroprotective Therapies
Cascading damage of neurons follows a brain stroke. The damage to the neurons needs to be minimized and reversed to undo the damage. However, any delay in reperfusion after a brain attack damages the brain tissues further. Therefore, startups are developing neuroprotective therapies to reduce the damage resulting from ischemia to improve the recovery of the patients.
Spanish startup FreeOx offers Ox-01, a neuroprotective therapy that prevents the damage caused by reperfusion after stroke. The drug provides multiple direct antioxidant actions, such as scavenging hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide, suppressing the Fenton reaction, chelating transition metals, and preventing lipid peroxidation. It also prevents the degradation of extracellular SOD3, an enzyme critical in maintaining normal endothelial and vascular function. The drug acts as a neuroprotectant for stroke in some patient subgroups and patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy.
Discover more Pharma Startups
Pharma startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on artificial intelligence, precision medicine, digital therapeutics as well as additive manufacturing. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the pharma industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more pharma technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Pharma Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
