Stevenage-based biotech startup NRG Therapeutics closed a £50 million Series B funding round. SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) led the investment. This significant NRG Therapeutics funding advances mitochondrial-targeting treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
The round included an £8 million investment from the British Business Bank. M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, and Criteria Bio Ventures also participated. Existing backers Omega Funds and Brandon Capital provided follow-on funding. NRG Therapeutics aims to transition its pipeline from pre-clinical to clinical stages.
Advancing Clinical Development
NRG Therapeutics will focus on clinical proof-of-concept in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease (MND). Furthermore, the company plans to generate initial clinical data for Parkinson’s disease. Its lead candidate, NRG5051, targets the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). This mechanism is linked to cell death and neuroinflammation.
NRG5051 demonstrated strong neuroprotective effects in pre-clinical models of ALS/MND and Parkinson’s. It also reduced neuroinflammation. The drug is on track to enter first-in-human clinical trials in early 2026. Companies like Biogen and Denali Therapeutics also develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
Neurodegenerative diseases present a high unmet medical need.
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New board members joined following this NRG Therapeutics funding. Emma Johnson (British Business Bank) and Laurence Barker (SV Health Investors) took positions. Charlotte Kremers (M Ventures) and Florian Muellershausen (Novartis Venture Fund) also joined the board.
