CereCura โคNanotherapeutics launches with โ$1.4 Millionโ Seed Funding to โฃDeliver Brain Therapeutics via LNP technology
TORONTO, ON – CereCura nanotherapeutics has secured $1.4 million in โคseed funding to advance โฃits platformโ for delivering mRNA-based therapeutics directly โto the brain, โคbypassing the blood-brainโข barrier โ(BBB). The โขcompanyโ is leveraging lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology – initially popularized by COVID-19โข vaccines – to enable the brain to manufacture its โฃown โฃtherapeutic proteins.
This โคfunding round โคpositions CereCura to address currently untreatable โฃneurological conditions.โ The company’s lead program focuses on neuronopathic Gaucher disease,a rare and perhaps fatal geneticโ disorderโฃ caused by a deficiency in the glucocerebrosidase enzyme. CereCura is also developing potential treatments for Alzheimer’sโข and Parkinson’s disease,โค conditions where delivering beneficial proteins to โthe โbrain hasโ historicallyโ proven challenging.
“LNPs offer a way of bringing ‘the mRNA blueprint that codes for the protein that we think would be therapeutic’ to the brain so it can manufacture those proteins internally itself, bypassingโข theโค BBB,” โexplained CereCura CEO Bernier.Current treatment options, like enzyme โreplacement therapy, involve intravenous infusions of the missing protein, but their โeffectiveness in the brainโค is limited. CereCura’s โคLNP approach boasts a significantly longer “half-life” – approximately one week – โขcompared โฃto the hours of efficacy seen with direct injections.
Theโ seed fundingโ was ledโค by WUTIF Capital, with โขCOO Aaron Stuart stating, “We decided to invest in CereCura โฃbecuase we were incredibly impressed by the team, โฃtheir accomplishments, and their vision for the futureโฆWe’re proud to support suchโ aโฃ noble mission โฃand โsee huge upside potential.”
CereCura aims to build a pipeline of pre-clinically validatedโฃ drug assets, capitalizing on the โคversatility of itsโ LNP technology. The company is led by a team including Cullis,whoseโ experiance is expected to be instrumental โขin navigating the path toward commercialization.