How UCLB’s neuroscience spinouts are changing lives and making breakthroughs

As UCL’s renowned Neuroscience Symposium kicks off, UCLB uncovers its spinouts’ work in this area, from tackling motor neurone disease to redefining artificial intelligence, Caitriona O’Rourke, Senior Business Manager, UCLB, reports. 

At UCLB, we’re proud to support some of the most ambitious and impactful neuroscience ventures emerging from UCL’s world-leading research. Here’s a look at some of the standout examples reshaping the future of brain health and technology.  

 

Trace Neuroscience: genomic medicine for motor neurone disease 

Launched in late 2024, Trace Neuroscience is backed by a $101m Series A round, one of the largest in the sector. Trace is developing a genomic therapy for motor neurone disease (MND), also known as ALS. 

The science behind Trace is as compelling as its mission. Co-founded by Professors Pietro Fratta (UCL) and Aaron Gitler (Stanford), the company is targeting a key protein called UNC13A, whose depletion is implicated in nearly all MND cases. Using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), Trace aims to rescue UNC13A  and halt the catastrophic loss of motor function that defines the disease  

This is more than a scientific milestone, it’s a story of hope. With UCLB’s support, Trace secured an exclusive licence from UCL and is now advancing a therapy that could transform the lives of 5,000 people diagnosed with MND each year in the UK alone. 

Find out more about Trace here.  

 

Stanhope AI: neuroscience-inspired Artificial Intelligence 

While Trace is tackling disease, Stanhope AI is redefining intelligence itself. This UCLB spinout is pioneering ‘agentic AI’, a new generation of artificial intelligence based on the neuroscience principle of Active Inference. 

Founded by a powerhouse team including Professor Rosalyn Moran, Professor Karl Friston, and Dr Biswa Sengupta, Stanhope AI has raised £2.3m to develop algorithms that mimic how the human brain predicts and adapts to the world. Unlike traditional AI models that rely on static training data, Stanhope’s systems learn in real time, continuously updating their internal models to minimise uncertainty. 

The applications are vast, from autonomous drones to industrial robotics, and the science is rooted in decades of UCL research.  

For more information, see Stanhope’s £2.3m announcement. 

 

EpilepsyGTx : gene therapy meets 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.  

 

ReadClear: 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.