Belgium-based UCB will acquire Neurona Therapeutics, including lead asset NRTX-1001, adding to UCB's epilepsy portfolio.
The deal has a total value of up to $1.15 billion, consisting of a $650 million upfront payment to Neurona, plus up to $500 million in potential future milestones.
Neurona’s platform uses regenerative pluripotent stem cell technology to deliver cells aimed at structurally and functionally restoring compromised neural circuitry. NRTX‑1001, the company’s lead regenerative neural cell therapy candidate, is currently being investigated in phase 1/2 clinical trials which are evaluating the safety, tolerability, and effects on seizure frequency in drug-resistant unilateral and bilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) with and without Mesial Temporal Sclerosis (MTS).
Administered as a minimally invasive single dose directly into the brain, NRTX‑1001 introduces cells that produce the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), to repair and rebalance the overactive neural networks and potentially provide durable seizure reduction.
In April 2025, Neurona announced the successful completion of an upsized and oversubscribed $102 million private financing round.
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