Neumirna’s NMT.001 is built upon FutureNeuro’s foundational work in RNA therapies.

Neumirna Therapeutics, a Danish RNA-focused biotech company has raised €20m in a Series A funding to develop therapies for epilepsy and other neurological disorders. The investment was co-led by Angelini Ventures and Invivo Partners, and saw participation from Neumirna’s seed investor, Innovestor’s Life Science Fund.

The start-up said that the funding will enable the company to begin clinical trials for NMT.001, its therapeutic candidate for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), patented by FutureNeuro, the Research Ireland centre for translational brain science – whose foundational work the drug is built upon – and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI),

According to the company, preclinical studies for NMT.001 showed “unprecedented efficacy” in animal models of DRE, highlighting its potential to “significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life.”

Moreover, the company’s drug discovery platform also enables the development of RNA therapies that tackle other intractable conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

“This funding milestone is a testament to the groundbreaking potential of our RNA-based platform and our lead development candidate, NMT.001” said Prof Janine Erler, the CEO of Neumirna Therapeutics.

“This funding is essential to bring NMT.001 to clinical trials and advance our pipeline.”

Prof David Henshall’s FutureNeuro lab in RCSI has been a key partner in the preclinical development of NMT.001, the company said, adding that the partnership underscores the impact of collaborative research in translating scientific discoveries into potential new treatments.

Henshall, FutureNeuro’s director and a professor of molecular physiology and neuroscience at RCSI said: “the discovery of the link between the microRNA gene and epilepsy originated here at RCSI, and through the FutureNeuro Centre, we partnered with Neumirna to identify the most promising drug candidate.

“This achievement highlights the critical importance of working closely with industry to translate early-stage research into tangible therapies that can make a real difference for patients.”

“By leveraging microRNA-targeted drugs to address the underlying causes of diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, Neumirna is breaking new ground in the field,” said Thomas Thestrup, a senior principal at Angelini Ventures.

“With our strong focus on brain disorders and a commitment to advancing innovative treatments for epilepsy, we are excited to collaborate with Neumirna’s management team on this journey to develop transformative solutions for patients worldwide”.

SiliconRepublic.com spoke to Prof Mark Cunningham, a FutureNeuro-funded investigator last year, who established, for the first time in Ireland, the capacity to conduct live human brain tissue studies from patients with refractory epilepsy.

Moreover, 2024 was a big year for the recognition of the importance of RNA, with scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNAs in the 1980s.

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