Spinout News / UCLB News
Brain Awareness Week: the UCLB spinouts breaking new ground
12 March 2025
With Brain Awareness Week underway, UCLB highlights the spinouts pioneering game changing technologies for those suffering from a myriad of neural conditions.
Tracing a new path in Motor Neurone Disease
UCLB spinout, Trace Neuroscience, launched in November 2024 with one of the largest biopharma Series A capital investments in recent years to support development of its candidate therapy for motor neurone disease.
MND is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting around 5,000 people each year, characterised by a progressive loss of transmission of nerve impulses from the brain and spinal cord to muscles – resulting in progressive and catastrophic decline in key functions in the body.
The decline in people’s ability to produce a vital protein called UNC13A characterises almost all cases of MND.
Trace’s co-founders Professor Pietro Fratta from UCL and Professor Aaron Gitler from Stanford University set about developing ways to restore or preserve UNC13A using nucleic acids that can act at the genomic level to prevent further loss of the protein – and hence halt or slow the decline in functions experienced by people with MND.
Trace Neuroscience was formed to commercialise this cutting-edge research and bring a treatment through clinical trials. UCLB licensed the intellectual property exclusively from UCL to Trace Neuroscience and the company made use of UCLB’s support as it worked with Professor Fratta from an early stage to develop the commercial potential of technology and secure patent filings to protect the intellectual property.
Dr Caitriona O’Rourke, Senior Business Manager, UCLB explains:
“In motor neurone disease, mutations in UNC13A can occur leading to a loss of this protein’s function and an impairment of neurotransmission. The Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) designed by the UCL and Trace team can be used to inhibit formation of these mutations, leading to a recovery of UNC13A levels, restoring transmission of impulses from brain/spinal cord to muscles which will suppress the progression of the disease,”
Read more about Trace’s journey here.
Robotic Advances in Brain Surgery
Another UCLB spinout is boosting the neurological research field, this time using robotics and AI to advance brain surgery.
Panda Surgical is developing the world’s first dexterous robot for minimally invasive neurosurgery, offering surgeons enhanced dexterity and decision-support making these complex operations safer, more effective, and more widely adopted.
Deploying a series of interchangeable 3mm-diameter wristed instruments actuated by a smart handheld controller, its novel robotic system allows neurosurgeons to perform previously impossible delicate manoeuvres to manipulate tissue safely and precisely deep within the brain and spine.
Following successful trials, the technology is soon to be available for use in human surgical procedures as Dr. Emmanouil Dimitrakakis, CEO, Panda Surgical, explains: “In 2024, Panda Surgical announced the completion of its first in-vivo preclinical trials, the world’s first live-animal study in endoscopic neurosurgery with dexterity-enhancing robots. Since then, Panda Surgical has conducted a series of preclinical tests all around the world, to confirm the safety and effectiveness of these novel devices prior to use in-human later this year.”
The valuable lessons learned from this preclinical stage will inform the further commercialisation of the Panda Surgical robotic system, and the regulatory process that will enable its widespread use both in the US and Europe.
Gene therapy hope for epilepsy
UCLB spinout EpilepsyGTx’s mission is to make patients with focal refractory epilepsy seizure-free. It is developing a portfolio of cutting-edge gene therapies based on pioneering research from the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
The company raised a total of $10m in seed funding (led by the UCL Technology Fund and Health Technology Holding) to complete preclinical studies for EpilepsyGTx’ lead gene therapy candidate, and to prepare a first-in-human, Phase 1/2a clinical study in focal refractory epilepsy.
Caitriona O’Rourke, UCLB’s Business Manager for EpilepsyGTx, said: “We have been delighted to support Nicolas and his team on their commercialisation journey. We’re excited by the commercial potential of this technology and its possible contribution to improve the lives of people with focal refractory epilepsy.”
Read more about EpilepsyGTx here.
The app helping brain related visual impairment
Another UCLB spinout is taking a different approach. The ReadClear app is designed as an assistive reading aid for people with brain related visual impairment. Created as a UCLB ‘Social Venture’ – a business whose profits a devoted to solving a specific social challenge – the ReadClear app was developed by Dr Aida Suárez-González from the UCL Dementia Research Centre.
ReadClear is an easy-to-use interface which uses an e-reader that has been designed to minimise visual distractions and optimise readability.
As Dr Suárez-González explains “‘ReadClear can improve reading in people with brain-related visual difficulties resulting from neurological conditions, such as stroke or dementia.”
Dr Suárez-González recently secured a £100,000 award from the Healthy Ageing Follow on Fund Accelerator to develop Read Clear.
Discover more about ReadClear here.