NRG Therapeutics Announces Oversubscribed £50m ($67m) Series B Financing to Deliver Clinical Data in Parkinson’s and Proof of Concept in ALS/MND

Oversubscribed £50m Series B led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund, alongside other new investors British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Criteria Bio Ventures, together with existing investors Omega Funds and Brandon Capital
The financing will enable NRG Therapeutics to deliver clinical proof of concept in ALS/MND with NRG5051, a first-in-class, oral inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP)
The mPTP is a well-established driver of mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases. NRG’s pipeline of small molecules inhibit pore opening through a novel mechanism of action

STEVENAGE, United Kingdom, Sept. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRG Therapeutics Ltd. (“NRG”), an innovative neuroscience company targeting a novel mechanism to address mitochondrial dysfunction, is delighted to announce the closing of its oversubscribed £50m Series B financing.

The financing was led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), a specialist venture fund dedicated to investing in companies developing or enabling novel therapeutics for dementia. DDF was joined by a syndicate of leading international life science venture investors: British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Criteria Bio Ventures alongside existing investors Omega Funds and Brandon Capital. Founding investor Parkinson’s UK via its drug development arm the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, remains an active and supportive investor.

The financing will enable NRG Therapeutics to achieve clinical proof of concept in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neurone disease (MND), while also generating meaningful clinical data in Parkinson’s patients through a Phase 1b study.

NRG’s lead development candidate, NRG5051, has been shown to be profoundly neuroprotective and significantly reduces neuroinflammation in pre-clinical models of Parkinson’s and ALS/MND. NRG5051 has completed IND-enabling studies and is on track to enter first-in-human clinical studies in early 2026. The Series B financing funds development through clinical proof of concept (PoC) studies in ALS/MND.

NRG Therapeutics’ co-founder and CEO Neil Miller said, “I am delighted to welcome our new investors and thank our current investors for their unwavering support. 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 aging 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 neurodegenerative disorders.”

NRG has identified a novel regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) which is essential for pore opening and amenable to small molecule inhibition. This breakthrough has enabled NRG to develop a new class of small molecule mPTP inhibitors which are designed to penetrate the brain effectively when taken orally.

Mitochondria are crucial for energy production, especially in substantia nigra neurones (Parkinson’s) and motor neurones (ALS/MND) which have high energy demands and consequently are particularly sensitive to mitochondrial health. The pathological proteins in Parkinson’s (a-synuclein) and ALS/MND (TDP-43) are toxic to mitochondria and contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction which is a common underlying pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of mPTP opening has been shown to protect mitochondria from this gain-of-function protein toxicity and to preserve neurones in pre-clinical models.

Laurence Barker, Partner leading DDF at SV Health Investors said, “The strength and breadth of NRG’s pre-clinical data gives us real confidence that NRG’s approach could halt or significantly slow disease progression across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. We are excited that NRG’s lead drug candidate has the potential to be the first disease-modifying therapeutic for sporadic ALS/MND and dementia indications such as Parkinson’s.”

Francesco Draetta, Managing Partner at Omega Funds added, “NRG has made incredible progress over the past three years (since we invested). Not only has it developed an impressive pre-clinical data package and completed IND-enabling studies with its lead asset, but it has also advanced further its understanding of the biology of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases and the mode of action of its novel target that prevents opening of the mPTP channel. We look forward to working with our co-investors to support NRG as it transitions into a clinical stage company.”

Parkinson’s is one of the fastest growing neurodegenerative conditions with a global prevalence predicted to double by 2050. There is currently no treatment available to slow or halt progression of Parkinson’s, with existing medicines providing temporary symptomatic relief only. ALS/MND is a rare, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease with high unmet medical need. In 2023 the FDA approved Qalsody (tofersen) as a disease-modifying treatment for a rare genetic (SOD1) form of ALS/MND based on a blood-based biomarker endpoint. However, the majority of patients with sporadic disease remain poorly treated by existing medicines.

In association with the Series B raise, Laurence Barker (SV Health Investors), Emma Johnson (British Business Bank), Charlotte Kremers (M Ventures) and Florian Muellershausen (Novartis Venture Fund) will join NRG’s board of directors. In addition, the company is delighted that Professor David Dexter, Director of Research at Parkinson’s UK, has been appointed as a special advisor on Parkinson’s.

NRG Therapeutics founding team - RR, NM, GH in lab

Caption: NRG Therapeutics’ founding team: left to right Richard Rutter (CSO); Neil Miller (CEO); Grant Hawthorn (COO)

Media enquiries (for NRG Therapeutics)
Sue Charles, Charles Consultants - +44 7968 726585 sue@charles-consultants.com

About NRG Therapeutics – https://www.nrgtherapeutics.com

NRG Therapeutics is a neuroscience drug discovery company building a pipeline of disease-modifying mitochondrial therapeutics to slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease (MND).

The company’s pre-clinical pipeline of small molecule assets is based on inhibiting the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) through a novel mechanism of action. Inhibition of the mPTP has been shown to protect neurones, reduce neuroinflammation and improve motor function in pre-clinical disease models. Its lead asset, NRG5051, has completed IND-enabling studies and is on track to enter the clinic in early 2026.

Based at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC), UK, NRG Therapeutics is a private company with equity investment from Brandon Capital, British Business Bank, Criteria Bio Ventures, Dementia Discovery Fund, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, Omega Funds and Parkinson’s UK. The company has also received awards from Innovate UK (Biomedical Catalyst Award), The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Target ALS and The ALS Association to support its innovative R&D programmes.

About the investors

Brandon Capital: https://brandoncapital.vc/
British Business Bank: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/
Criteria Bio Ventures: https://www.criteriabioventures.com/
Dementia Discovery Fund: https://svhealthinvestors.com/ddf/dementia-discovery-fund
M Ventures: https://www.m-ventures.com/
Novartis Venture Fund: https://www.nvfund.com/
Omega Funds: https://omegafunds.com/
Parkinson’s UK: https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c86ee385-3d7a-41e0-83b9-31ba48625fb4

NRG Therapeutics’ founding team

NRG Therapeutics’ founding team: left to right Richard Rutter (CSO); Neil Miller (CEO); Grant Hawthorn (COO)

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