NanoNewron Advances Alzheimer’s Program with Support for Phase 2 Development Based on Rutgers Innovation

NanoNewron, a biotechnology startup developing humanized biologics aiming to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to treat central nervous system (CNS) neurodegenerative diseases, is entering Phase 2 of its TNF-alpha inhibitor program for Alzheimer’s disease. The therapeutic platform is based on research developed at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

This next stage of development positions the company for an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission next year. Rutgers technologies like those behind NanoNewron exemplify how university research can catalyze economic growth—fueling startup creation, attracting federal and state investment, and translating scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. For this phase, NanoNewron received a $2.5 million grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NanoNewron’s technology, developed by Rutgers neuroscientist Luciano D’Adamio, MD, PhD, is engineered to cross the BBB and target neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction—key drivers of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s—by inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha.

"At NanoNewron, we believe that TNF-alpha plays a key pathogenic role in Alzheimer’s," said D’Adamio, professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, holder of the Herbert C. and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Endowed Chair, and chief scientific officer of NanoNewron.

"We developed potent TNF-alpha inhibitor antibodies to be used to treat Alzheimer’s and, since these antibodies cannot cross the blood-brain barrier by themselves, we combined them with our NewroBus™ technology, a nanoantibody able to cross the blood-brain barrier by leveraging the transcytosis activity of Transferrin Receptor one (TfR1). These combined products of the NN-840 program have shown very promising results in preclinical models with high inhibition of TNF-alpha activity inside the brain and excellent tolerability. This breakthrough could finally allow targeted biologics to reach the brain in effective concentrations, something that has long limited progress in Alzheimer’s research," added D’Adamio.

"Securing this competitive NIH award confirms both the scientific and clinical potential of NanoNewron’s approach to treat Alzheimer’s disease," said Marco Taglietti, MD, chief executive officer of NanoNewron. "There is still an urgent need for more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Despite decades of research, the current treatments only offer temporary improvements in symptoms and a modest slowdown in cognitive decline. We believe our technology could transform Alzheimer’s treatment, much like TNF-alpha inhibitors revolutionized care for systemic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, this grant is a testament to our research team’s commitment and our ability to translate academic science into meaningful treatments."

"The initial work of NanoNewron has been conducted at Rutgers, with funding coming also from a significant STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Phase I NIH grant," said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, MBA, executive director of the Office for Research (OfR) Technology Transfer unit of Rutgers University. "Dr. D’Adamio’s innovations have the potential to make a positive impact for so many families around the world, and it is another example of the contribution and commitment of Rutgers to advance treatments of neurodegenerative diseases and drive innovation that benefits society."

“NanoNewron has also partnered with Rutgers in receiving a New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology Catalyst Award to conduct critical research studies in Rutgers laboratories,” said Vince Smeraglia, JD, executive director of the Rutgers Office for Research New Ventures unit.

NanoNewron also received a STTR bridge grant from the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology to support work between their Phase I and Phase II STTR awards.