Neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Parkinson’s remain some of the biggest unsolved challenges in medicine. A UK biotech company believes the answer could lie in targeting mitochondria to slow or halt disease progression.
Stevenage-based NRG Therapeutics has raised £50 million in Series B to push its lead candidate, NRG5051, into the clinic. The oral small molecule is designed to block a mitochondrial mechanism called the permeability transition pore (mPTP), which has been linked to energy failure, inflammation, and neuron death in the brain.
The round was led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund and joined by British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, Criteria Bio Ventures, Omega Funds, and Brandon Capital.
Founded by CEO Neil Miller, CSO Richard Rutter, and COO Grant Hawthorn, NRG spun out to build a pipeline of mitochondrial-targeted therapeutics. Miller said, “Developing new drugs to treat neurological diseases is very challenging, but is receiving increased interest given the high unmet medical need and growing prevalence in ageing populations.
These new funds provide the runway to advance our lead programme through PoC in ALS/MND, and to develop our portfolio of small molecule candidate drugs for other indications, including Parkinson’s, offering new hope to the growing number of people and their families impacted by ALS/MND and Parkinson’s”
NRG5051 has cleared IND-enabling studies and is scheduled to enter first-in-human trials in early 2026. The company plans to run parallel studies in ALS/MND and Parkinson’s, with an eye on broader neurodegenerative applications if the mechanism holds up clinically.
The company plans to build on this milestone by generating meaningful clinical data in ALS/MND and Parkinson’s, while also exploring broader applications of its mitochondrial platform across other neurodegenerative diseases.
Leandros Kalisperas, Chief Investment Officer at British Business Bank, said, “We seek to back the best of UK life sciences, helping to turn breakthrough research into world-leading, fully commercial companies. Like many of our life sciences investments, our investment in NRG Therapeutics is advantageous because it has the potential to help address one of the world’s largest healthcare challenges. We look forward to supporting NRG Therapeutics as they continue to take their valuable research forward through trials.”
What comes next depends on how much of NRG’s preclinical promise carries over into patients. If it does, the company could position itself as one of the few biotechs breaking meaningful new ground in neurodegeneration.
