SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.
