SARM1

Nura Bio has announced the addition of $68 million to its series A financing, closing the round with a total of $140 million. The investment was led by The Column Group and joined by Samsara Bio Capital, Euclidean Capital and Sanofi Ventures. Based in San Francisco, Nura Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of neuroprotective small molecule therapies to treat neurological diseases. The financing round was closed shortly following the release of positive data from a phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety of Nura Bio’s lead candidate, NB-4746, in healthy volunteers. The funds will support the company’s plans to initiate a phase 1b/2 study with the drug candidate in 2025. NB-4746 is a small molecule designed to penetrate the brain that targets the SARM1 protein, which is involved in the process of axon degeneration, an early hallmark of several neurological diseases. In preclinical studies, the drug candidate has shown potential to prevent axon degeneration, providing neuroprotection in multiple models of nerve injury and diseases of the central, peripheral, and ocular nervous systems. Along with the closing of the series A fundraising, Nura Bio has announced the appointment of Dr Shilpa Sambashivan as CEO and a company director. One of the founding members of Nura Bio, Dr Sambashivan has held the position of chief scientific officer of Nura Bio during the company’s journey since its foundation all the way through to the successful completion of the phase 1 clinical trial with the lead drug candidate. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('text-ad1'); }); Neuroprotective therapies “At Nura Bio, we have been laser-focused on our mission of delivering novel neuroprotective therapies to patients by leveraging our deep scientific understanding of underlying disease mechanisms including axon degeneration and neuroinflammation. The strong support demonstrated by our investors through this financing reflects the tremendous potential of our R&D pipeline,” said Dr. Sambashivan. “I am proud of the results our team has delivered. I look forward to leading the company through this next phase as we prepare to test the SARM1 hypothesis in a patient population in 2025 with our lead candidate NB-4746 while continuing to advance our promising preclinical pipeline.” Nura Bio’s lead investor, The Column Group, is a venture capital firm specialized in building and supporting early-stage drug discovery companies with unique scientific platforms. Back in 2018, The Column Group conceived Nura Bio with the goal of revolutionizing the treatment of neurological diseases with novel neuroprotective drugs. “Nura Bio has successfully transitioned to a clinical-stage organization, making remarkable progress in identifying ways to translate complex biology into potential therapies,” said Tim Kutzkey, Managing Partner at The Column Group and Nura Bio’s founding chairman. “We are excited to continue to support the company through this next phase of growth and clinical development.”

– Proceeds will support Nura Bio’s pipeline of neuroprotective medicines – Company announces successful completion of Phase 1 study of NB-4746, Nura Bio’s brain-penetrant SARM1 inhibitor – Shilpa Sambashivan, Ph.D., appointed CEO and a Director of the company SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA I September 17, 2024 I Nura Bio Inc. (Nura Bio), a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing neuroprotective, small molecule therapies for the treatment of debilitating neurological diseases, announced today the closing of more than $140 million in Series A financing. This includes the addition of $68 million to the initial Series A round of $73 million which was announced in 2020 . The round was led by founding investor The Column Group, with participation from continuing investors Samsara Bio Capital and Euclidean Capital, and new investor Sanofi Ventures. The company also announced the appointment of Shilpa Sambashivan, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a company Director. As a member of the founding team at Nura Bio and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Dr. Sambashivan has been the driving force behind Nura Bio’s bespoke research engine and differentiated R&D pipeline, with the company’s first clinical candidate, NB-4746, recently completing Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers. “Under Shilpa’s leadership, Nura Bio has successfully transitioned to a clinical-stage organization, making remarkable progress in identifying ways to translate complex biology into potential therapies,” said Tim Kutzkey, Ph.D., Managing Partner, The Column Group and Nura Bio’s founding chairman. “We are excited to continue to support the company through this next phase of growth and clinical development. Shilpa’s leadership, combined with her deep scientific expertise, will be key to maximizing Nura Bio’s broad therapeutic potential in areas of large unmet need.” Nura Bio’s financing close comes at a pivotal point with the Phase 1 success of NB-4746, a brain-penetrant SARM1 inhibitor that has been shown to prevent axon degeneration and provide neuroprotection in multiple preclinical models of nerve injury and disease. Nura Bio plans to initiate a Phase 1b/2 trial in a patient population in 2025. “At Nura Bio, we have been laser-focused on our mission of delivering novel neuroprotective therapies to patients by leveraging our deep scientific understanding of underlying disease mechanisms including axon degeneration and neuroinflammation. The strong support demonstrated by our investors through this financing reflects the tremendous potential of our R&D pipeline,” said Dr. Sambashivan. “I am proud of the results our team has delivered. I look forward to leading the company through this next phase as we prepare to test the SARM1 hypothesis in a patient population in 2025 with our lead candidate NB-4746 while continuing to advance our promising preclinical pipeline.” Results from the recently completed Phase 1 study of NB-4746 in healthy volunteers show it was well-tolerated in the single ascending and multiple ascending dose arms of the study. In this Phase 1 study, NB-4746 achieved targeted plasma exposure levels that the company believes are required for efficacy with no associated serious treatment-emergent adverse events. Cerebrospinal fluid levels of NB-4746 confirm brain penetration and support this molecule’s advancement in diseases that impact both the peripheral and central nervous systems. About NB-4746 NB-4746 is the lead asset in Nura Bio’s small molecule pipeline. NB-4746 targets SARM1, a neuronally enriched nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) hydrolase that has emerged as an important axon-intrinsic metabolic sensor and central driver of axon degeneration. Axon degeneration is an early hallmark of several neurological diseases. Halting axon degeneration early can confer significant structural and functional neuroprotection and has tremendous potential in the treatment of several neurological diseases. Preclinical studies support the potential of NB-4746 to provide broad axonal protection and functional improvement across diseases of the central, peripheral, and ocular nervous systems. About Nura Bio Nura Bio, Inc. (Nura Bio) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing neuroprotective therapies for the treatment of a broad range of neurological diseases. Nura Bio’s research and early development small molecule pipeline is focused on developing therapies that halt axon degeneration and/or modulate microglial responses to degeneration and injury, with the goal of conferring neuroprotection, across diseases of the central, peripheral, and ocular nervous systems. SOURCE: Nura Bio

The company’s lead asset demonstrated neuroprotection in preclinical models of nerve injury and disease. Credit: Jo Panuwat D/Shutterstock. Nura Bio has secured an additional $68m in a Series A financing round to advance the development of its neuroprotective therapies. The latest funding brings the total funds raised by the company to more than $140m with $73m in an initial Series A round in 2020. The Column Group led the investment round, with continued support from Samsara Bio Capital and Euclidean Capital, and new backing from Sanofi Ventures. Nura Bio’s recent funding milestone coincides with the successful completion of Phase I studies for its lead clinical candidate, NB-4746, in healthy subjects. A brain-penetrant SARM1 inhibitor, NB-4746 has demonstrated potential in preventing axon degeneration and offering neuroprotection in preclinical models of nerve injury and disease. See Also: AstraZeneca’s Fasenra to challenge GSK’s Nucala in rare vasculitis after FDA nod FDA approves Accord BioPharma’s HERCESSI for cancer treatment The Phase I trial data indicated that NB-4746 was well-tolerated in both single ascending and multiple ascending dose arms, achieving targeted plasma exposure levels believed to be necessary for efficacy without serious treatment-emergent adverse events. Cerebrospinal fluid levels of NB-4746 confirmed brain penetration, bolstering the molecule’s prospects for treating conditions impacting the peripheral and central nervous systems. The company is preparing to commence a Phase Ib/II trial with NB-4746 in patients by 2025. In conjunction with the latest funding, the company appointed Shilpa Sambashivan as its new CEO and board member. Dr Sambashivan stated: “At Nura Bio, we have been laser-focused on our mission of delivering novel neuroprotective therapies to patients by leveraging our deep scientific understanding of underlying disease mechanisms including axon degeneration and neuroinflammation. The strong support demonstrated by our investors through this financing reflects the tremendous potential of our research and development pipeline. “I am proud of the results our team has delivered. I look forward to leading the company through this next phase as we prepare to test the SARM1 hypothesis in a patient population in 2025 with our lead candidate NB-4746 while continuing to advance our promising preclinical pipeline.”