What Nura Bio does

Nura Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral, brain-penetrant small molecule neuroprotective therapies for neurological diseases. Founded in 2018 in South San Francisco, the company is built on the science of its co-founders Marc Freeman, PhD (Oregon Health and Sciences University) and Steven McKnight, PhD (UT Southwestern Medical Center), who established SARM1 as a central driver of axon degeneration. Nura Bio targets SARM1 and neuroimmune pathways to halt axonal loss in diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN).

The company's pipeline is centered on two mechanistically differentiated SARM1 inhibitors. NB-4746 is a first-generation reversible orthosteric SARM1 inhibitor currently dosing ALS patients in a Phase 1b/2a study; Phase 1 results showed it was well-tolerated with no serious treatment-emergent adverse events, achieved targeted plasma exposure, demonstrated cerebrospinal fluid penetration, and reduced neurofilament light chain levels in preclinical models. NB-9402 is a second-generation covalent, irreversible, allosteric SARM1 inhibitor that began first-in-human dosing in 2026. Nura Bio operates an end-to-end in-house drug discovery engine that spans target identification, structural biology (x-ray crystallography, cryo-EM), biophysics, primary neuronal cell models, high-content imaging, in vivo disease models, and biomarker platforms.

The company is pre-revenue and monetizes through future prescription pharmaceutical sales following regulatory approval. Its customer base is presently the clinical trial investigator network; its downstream end customers will be patients with neurological diseases and the prescribing neurologists who serve them, with distribution planned through specialty pharmacies and hospital systems. The company has raised approximately $214.8 million across a 2020 Series A, a 2024 Series A extension, and a June 2026 Series B, with The Column Group as founding and lead investor across all rounds alongside Samsara BioCapital, Euclidean Capital, and Sanofi Ventures.

Name

Nura Bio

Legal name

Nura Bio Inc.

Website

https://nurabio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nura Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral, brain-penetrant SARM1 inhibitor small molecules to halt axon degeneration in neurological diseases including ALS, MS, TBI and CIPN, serving patients and neurologists through future specialty pharmaceutical distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neurological Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Optimization & Preclinical Candidate Selection (HLAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Neuroprotective therapies
• Small molecule drug discovery
• SARM1 inhibitors
• ALS drug development
• Neurological disease therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Sales: Pre-revenue clinical-stage company. Once products receive regulatory approval, revenue will be generated through sales of prescription neuroprotective therapies for neurological diseases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nura Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing neuroprotective small molecule therapies targeting SARM1 and neuroimmune pathways to halt axonal degeneration in neurological diseases. Its lead candidate NB-4746 is in a Phase 1b/2a study in ALS patients, while next-generation NB-9402 is in a first-in-human Phase 1a study. The company also operates an integrated drug discovery engine spanning target validation through preclinical development using structural biology, primary cell models, and in vivo disease models.

Product overview

Nura Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing neuroprotective small molecule therapies for neurological diseases. The company's pipeline centers on SARM1 inhibitors: NB-4746 (first-generation, reversible orthosteric inhibitor) is in Phase 1b/2a for ALS, while NB-9402 (second-generation, covalent allosteric inhibitor) is in Phase 1a. Both target axon degeneration, an early hallmark of neurological diseases affecting central, peripheral, and ocular nervous systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NB-4746 First-generation oral, brain-penetrant, reversible orthosteric SARM1 inhibitor being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a study in ALS patients. Targets SARM1, a neuronally enriched NAD hydrolase that drives axon degeneration, with the goal of halting axonal degeneration in neurological diseases.
• NB-9402 Second-generation oral, covalent, irreversible, allosteric SARM1 inhibitor demonstrating high potency and long-lasting efficacy in preclinical models. Mechanistically differentiated from NB-4746 and currently in Phase 1a first-in-human study in healthy volunteers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 1 study demonstrated NB-4746 was well-tolerated with no serious treatment-emergent adverse events
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of Texas Southwestern Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Scientific founders Marc Freeman (OHSU) and Steve McKnight (UT Southwestern) pioneered SARM1 discovery. Collaboration with cryo-EM team led by Xiaochen Bai, PhD at UTSW for structural studies supporting drug discovery.
• Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Dr. Marc Freeman serves as Director of the Vollum Institute at OHSU. His laboratory discovered SARM1 as a potent axon-intrinsic pro-degenerative factor, providing the foundational science for Nura Bio's pipeline.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alector: Clinical-stage biotech developing immuno-neurology treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Comparable to Nura Bio in neuroprotection strategy via neuroimmune pathways and similar clinical-stage profile.
• Denali Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Comparable in mission (halting neurodegeneration through targeted small molecules) and scale, though Denali is broader across lysosomal function, autophagy, and neuroinflammation.
• Praxis Precision Medicines: Clinical-stage biopharma developing therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Comparable to Nura Bio as a CNS-focused clinical-stage company with small molecule programs; both are advancing candidates through Phase 1/2 development.
• Annexon Biosciences: Clinical-stage biotech developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases via neuroinflammation and complement pathway modulation. Comparable to Nura Bio in target class (neuroprotection), clinical stage, and therapeutic focus (ALS, MS, among others). Mehta also held a leadership role at Annexon.
• Amylyx Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. Most directly comparable to Nura Bio given shared ALS focus and similar clinical-stage profile; Nura Bio's CMO Lahar Mehta joined from Amylyx, signaling close peer overlap.

Emerging players

• Abata Therapeutics: Early-stage biotech developing regulatory T cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including MS. Comparable in neurology focus; Samsara BioCapital (a Nura Bio investor) is also an Abata board observer, indicating close investor overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Biogen: Major neurology biopharma with deep ALS (Spinraza) and MS franchises. Comparable as a leading neurodegenerative-disease company; broader portfolio and commercial reach than Nura Bio, and a potential strategic acquirer given leadership alumni connections.
• Sage Therapeutics: Established CNS-focused biopharma with commercial and clinical assets in neurology. Comparable as a broader neuro platform player; less direct overlap given Sage's focus on GABA modulators rather than axonal-degeneration.
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Established RNA-targeted therapeutics company with multiple neurological disease programs including ALS (e.g., tofersen with Biogen). Comparable as a CNS-focused clinical-stage and commercial-stage company, though Ionis uses antisense oligonucleotides rather than small molecules.
• Karuna Therapeutics: CNS-focused biopharma developing therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders. Comparable in CNS focus and clinical-stage development, though Karuna's lead asset targets muscarinic receptors for schizophrenia rather than axonal degeneration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nurabio_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nurabio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nura Bio