We are happy to announce that Neurix successfully initiated BRA-IN-AD, an exciting R&D project funded by the Eurostars program!
BRA-IN-AD consortium awarded an EUREKA Eurostars grant
The international BRA-IN-AD consortium consists of 4 partners: Neurix (Switzerland), Judex (Denmark), StrataStem (United Kingdom), and the Theodor Kocher Institute (Switzerland). For the first time, the BRA-IN-AD consortium will bring together the individual expertise of these partners in blood brain barrier (BBB) models, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) models, automation of image-based readouts and CRO services to develop a cutting-edge in-vitro model that aims to recapitulate the complexity of the human brain, AD, and the BBB in one universal model.
What is the project about?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 50 million people worldwide. The condition is largely untreatable and represents one of the leading medical and societal challenges faced worldwide. The failure rate of new drug-leads in clinical trials for AD is 99%, as current preclinical models fail to predict their performance in a clinical setting. A key feature lacking in the current models is the integration of the BBB, hampering the selection of potential new drugs. There is a clear need for novel preclinical models that improve the success rate of new AD-drug candidates reaching patients.
The BRA-IN-AD consortium will deliver a novel drug testing platform for AD. The platform uniquely connects a functional blood-brain-barrier (BBB) to 3D brain organoid models of the disease. Our unique model will better represent the complexity of the AD brain and will improve the translation of preclinical leads to the clinical phase.
How did FFUND help?
FFUND provided support throughout the application process for this high-caliber collaboration. Under the guidance of project leader & team manager Ivan Ramirez-Moral, a team of PhD-level consultants and business experts worked together to bring this project to a success by building strong scientific and business cases.
Ivan Ramirez-Moral: “In this project, we connected 3 previous clients of FFUND for a joint mission to deliver a novel Alzheimer disease’s model for drug discovery. In each collaboration, we aim to bring expert knowledge together and deliver a strong project plan and business case. I am very happy to have participated in this project and I look forward to the exciting results to be achieved by the BRA-IN-AD consortium.”
Nikolay Zhukovsky, CEO of Neurix: “FFUND provided valuable support in finding strong partners and shaping their integration into the overall business model to meet the requirements of the Eurostars call. Building on their impressive knowledge and expertise in building relationships, they have helped us to present our funding proposal clearly and accurately. I look forward to working with Ivan and his team again.”
