What Novoron Bioscience does

Novoron Bioscience is a private, pre-clinical biotechnology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in San Diego, California, developing first-in-class therapies that target the LRP1 receptor within the LDL receptor family to treat central nervous system disorders. The company's pipeline is built around three programmatic areas: NOVO-118 for axonal regeneration and myelin repair in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, NOVO-120 for bladder dysfunction following spinal cord injury, and a human iPSC-derived cortical brain organoid platform that enables high-throughput screening against tau propagation in Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. Underpinning these programs is a proprietary LDLR Drug Discovery Toolbox of assays, structural modeling tools, and reagents that overcome historical challenges in drugging the LDLR receptor family, plus a 384-well organoid screening capability.

The business is currently pre-revenue and monetizes through non-dilutive grant funding from the NIH (NIA SBIR and other mechanisms) and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, supplemented by venture equity (Two Bear Capital led a $3M seed round in November 2021). Commercialization is planned via future pharmaceutical partnerships or licensing transactions rather than internal sales infrastructure, consistent with a discovery-stage biotech. Customers and patients are not yet transacting; addressable patient populations include the roughly 300,000 U.S. spinal cord injury patients (and 18,000 new annual cases), the nearly 3 million people worldwide living with multiple sclerosis, and more than 25 million dementia patients globally, including Alzheimer's disease.

The leadership team is led by founder/CEO Travis Stiles, PhD, with co-founder/COO Shawn Gahr and CFO Ryan McMillian, alongside a Board strengthened in October 2024 by Dr. David Weiner (Executive Chairman) and supported by scientific founders including Dr. Kenneth Kosik (UCSB) and Dr. Jennifer Rauch (UMass Amherst). The company has raised over $6M in non-dilutive funding alongside seed equity, has won selection to the NIH Innovation Zone at BIO 2024, and reports a target of entering clinical trials within three years.

Name

Novoron Bioscience

Legal name

Novoron Bioscience

Website

https://novoron.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pre-clinical biotechnology company developing first-in-class lipoprotein receptor (LRP1)-targeting therapies for central nervous system disorders, including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease, supported by a proprietary human iPSC brain organoid drug discovery platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceuticals — CNS Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics) (HLAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Translational & Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers (MOA, target engagement, PD/PK-linked markers) (HLAAAMAD)

Keywords

• Lipoprotein receptor therapeutics
• Central nervous system therapeutics
• Spinal cord injury therapy
• Alzheimer's drug discovery
• Brain organoid screening

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

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. Grant Funding: Non-dilutive funding from NIH (NIA, SBIR grants), Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and other federal agencies to support research and development activities.
2. Equity Investment: Venture capital investment from investors such as Two Bear Capital and Backstage Capital to fund clinical development and commercialization efforts.
3. Future Licensing/Partnership Revenue: Pre-revenue company planning to commercialize through pharmaceutical partnerships, licensing deals, or eventual product sales following successful clinical trials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Novoron Bioscience is a preclinical biotechnology company developing first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics that target the lipoprotein receptor LRP1 to treat central nervous system disorders. Its pipeline centers on drug candidate NOVO-118 for spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis and NOVO-120 for bladder dysfunction following spinal cord injury, alongside an LRP1 antagonist program aimed at blocking prion-like spread of tau and alpha-synuclein in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Discovery is enabled by a proprietary LDLR Drug Discovery Toolbox and a human iPSC-derived cortical organoid screening platform.

Product overview

Novoron Bioscience is developing a pipeline of first-in-class therapies targeting LDL receptor biology for central nervous system disorders. The company's core platform centers on LRP1 (Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 1) modulation. Lead drug candidate NOVO-118 addresses spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis by promoting axonal regeneration and myelin repair. NOVO-120 targets bladder dysfunction in SCI. The human brain organoid platform enables high-throughput drug screening for Alzheimer's disease and tauopathies. The LDLR Drug Discovery Toolbox provides proprietary tools for targeting historically challenging receptor families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NOVO-118 NOVO-118 is Novoron's lead preclinical drug candidate, a small molecule LRP1 antagonist intended to promote axonal regeneration and remyelination in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis; in vivo studies have shown significant improvement in motor function after SCI.
• NOVO-120 NOVO-120 is a preclinical drug candidate for spinal cord injury focused on improving bladder function post-SCI, addressing a high-unmet-need area with direct impact on patient quality of life.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant improvement in motor function after spinal cord injury in vivo studies with NOVO-118 treatment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of California, Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2022Research collaboration with Dr. Kenneth S. Kosik from UCSB on Alzheimer's disease, CTE, and tauopathies. Dr. Kosik's team identified LRP1 as a central factor in tau pathology. Collaboration enables translation of discoveries into novel treatments.
• University of Massachusetts, AmherstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2022Research collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Rauch (first author on work discovering LRP1's central role in tauopathy) at UMass Amherst. Dr. Rauch conducts critical animal studies using a unique tauopathy model that allows testing of potential therapeutics in weeks rather than months or years.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ACADIA Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage CNS-focused pharmaceutical company with approved neurological therapies. Comparable as a CNS therapeutics specialist where Novoron's Executive Chairman David Weiner began his career, providing relevant industry context for the platform's commercial potential.
• EMD Serono: Healthcare business of Merck KGaA focused on neurology, immunology, and oncology. Comparable as a major pharma with neurology drug development programs where Novoron's Executive Chairman David Weiner previously led global early clinical development activities.
• Sage Therapeutics: Biopharmaceutical company developing CNS therapeutics with approved products in depression and epilepsy. Comparable as a CNS-focused biotech pursuing novel mechanisms of action in neurological and psychiatric indications, providing strategic context for CNS drug development economics.
• Biogen: Large multinational biopharmaceutical company with a major focus on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's (lecanemab partnership with Eisai) and multiple sclerosis. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in Novoron's target indications, representing both competitive threat and potential partnership/acquisition target.

Direct peers

• Prothena Corporation: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing protein immunotherapies for tauopathies, alpha-synucleinopathies, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Directly comparable as both target misfolded protein spread underlying neurodegeneration, similar to Novoron's LRP1-tau mechanism.
• Athersys: Clinical-stage cell therapy and regenerative medicine company developing therapies for spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Highly comparable as both pursue disease-modifying approaches in SCI/MS; Novoron's Sarah Busch, PhD previously led the SCI program at Athersys for 13 years.
• Denali Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CNS-focused biotechnology company developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases with proprietary drug discovery platform technology targeting receptor biology. Directly comparable in CNS pipeline breadth, platform-driven approach, and similar target-class ambitions as Novoron's LRP1/LDLR platform.

Emerging players

• Yumanity Therapeutics: Biotechnology company developing disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Comparable in proteinopathy focus and small-molecule CNS approach; Novoron's Executive Chairman David Weiner previously served as CMO and Interim CEO at Yumanity's predecessor Proteostasis.
• Cassava Sciences: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Comparable as a focused CNS biotech pursuing disease-modifying mechanisms in tau-related neurodegeneration, competing for the same patient populations and partnership attention as Novoron's tauopathy program.
• Cortexyme: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Comparable as a smaller CNS-focused biotech pursuing novel disease-modifying mechanisms in Alzheimer's and related disorders, facing similar partnership and financing dynamics as Novoron.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/novoronbioscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/novoron-bioscience
• Xx.com/novoronbio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds15 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 Novoron Bioscience