A Portfolio Approach To Developing Neuroprotectants
Cerbella
for Brain Health
NeuroPro
for Brain Health
Natural Bioactives
Neurological Diseases
for Brain Health
for Brain Health
Business
Neurodyn is focused on identifying, validating and developing natural bioactives into both prescription drugs and natural products for the treatment of neurological diseases and promotion of brain health, respectively.
Neurodyn operates as an ‘incubator’ when projects reach maturity, they are licensed /partnered or moved to stand alone business units.
Neurodyn establishes pre-clinical evidence of efficacy of drug candidates, relying heavily on its wholly owned pre-clinical neurological disease focussed CRO (CNS|CRO) . The Company also evaluates historically-proven natural products to discover key bioactives which can be reformulated to more effectively support brain health.
Competences
Rx products
GLN-1062 (Galantamine prodrug), transferred to Alpha Cognition Inc. a SPV company founded by Neurodyn in 2016. Asset received FDA approval for
treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia, July 2024 – to be marketed as 
Progranulin/Granulin development program – ALS first indication
Natural Products
Cerbella for Brain Health
NeuroPro for Brain Health
Licensed to a marketing company co-founded by Neurodyn (2023) LifeSci Brands Inc.
Rx Development
NLS has developed pre-clinical evidence of efficacy of Progranulin & Granulins derived from the full-length molecule, in preclinical models of Parkinson’s Disease*, Alzheimer’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
ALS first indication.
*Parkinson’s disease data generated with 3 years support from 
Progranulin
What is Progranulin? A neuroprotective protein that has therapeutic potential across several neurodegenerative diseases.
It functions as an autocrine neurotrophic factor and increases cell survival signaling pathways.
Progranulin is a highly conserved secreted glycoprotein that is expressed in multiple cell types, both in CNS and peripheral tissues.
Both full length progranulin and individual Granulins have been shown to be important in regulating cell growth, survival, repair, and
inflammation.
Why choose ALS as the initial indication for therapy? TDP-43 and FUS are mis-localized to the cytoplasm in the vast majority of
ALS cases, and contribute to compromised RNA metabolism, a hallmark of ALS pathology.
Neurodyn’s therapeutic candidates are intended to provide neuroprotection through reduction of TDP-43 & FUS proteinopathies
as well as reduction of oxidative and neuroinflammatory stress. We anticipate that these benefits will mitigate the cascade of
events that lead to loss of motor neuron function.
Neurodyn and our collaborators have demonstrated that Progranulin and importantly specific Granulins derived from the full-length molecule
are able to mitigate TDP-43 pathophysiology.
Graphic: PROTEIN-CODING REGION OF HUMAN GRN GENE-chromosome 17q 21.32 https://nguyen-lab.com/slu/research/
Current Status
Because lysosomal function is highly disordered in neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, we hypothesize that this blunts the therapeutic action of progranulin, such that it may be inappropriately or ineffectively processed in the context of the ongoing ALS pathophysiology.
For this reason, we are continuing, to develop therapeutic candidates based on granulins and granulin combinations that demonstrate the most potent neuroprotective activity, to circumvent the lysosomal processing stage of mature progranulin.
The optimal granulin combinations(s) selected by in vitro evaluation of motor neuron survival, preservation of morphology, and protection from TDP-43 toxicity, as well as their ability to promote protective versus adverse microglial phenotypes, will be selected for in vivo testing.
We will evaluate their ability to mitigate disease development in a mouse model of ALS (TDP-43 transgenic mice) that exhibits a toxic TDP-43 pathology that essentially all ALS patients have.
Granulin combination(s) that limit disease in vivo will be further progressed for toxicology testing and submission of an investigational new drug application to the FDA – the start of clinical trials.
The success of this development program has the real prospect of providing ALS patients with a truly disease modifying therapy.
Publications
Ryan CL, Baranowski DC, Chitramuthu BP, Malik S, Li Z, Cao M, Minotti S, Durham HD, Kay DG, Shaw CA, Bennett HP, Bateman A.
Read MoreChitramuthu BP, Baranowski DC, Kay DG, Bateman A, Bennett HP
Read MoreVan Kampen JM, Baranowski D, Kay DG
Read MoreChitramuthu BP, Kay DG, Bateman A, Bennett HP
Read MoreVan Kampen JM, Kay DG
Read MoreNatural Products
Licensed to a marketing company co-founded by Neurodyn (2023) LifeSci Brands Inc.
Carmichael OT, Pillai S, Shankapal P, McLellan A, Kay DG, Gold BT, Keller JN. A Combination of Essential Fatty Acids,
Panax Ginseng Extract, and Green Tea Catechins Modifies Brain fMRI Signals in Healthy Older Adults. J Nutr Health Aging.
2018;22(7):837-846. doi: 10.1007/s12603-018-1028-2. PMID: 30080229.
Cerbella
Employs amplified absorption technology, increasing brain bioavailability.
Highest purity and potency available on the market.
Proprietary composition & standardized concentration of ginsenosides (8%).
Fortified with green tea catechins and Omega 3 fatty acids.
Clinical validation of improved brain function by fMRI
NeuroPro
scavenge free radicals (Kitts et al., 2000) and activates endogenous
antioxidant enzymes in vivo (Gillis, 1997).
prevents neuronal cell loss in models of ischemia (Wen et al., 1996),
hypoxia (Seong & Kim, 1997), glutamate toxicity (Kim et al., 1998), and ALS (Gillis, 1997).
inhibits dopaminergic depletion induced by methamphetamine in vivo (Oh et al., 1996).
afford mitochondrial protection, energy restoration and inhibition of apoptosis (Zhang et al., 2011).
activates insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) signaling pathway (Xu et al., 2009).
Team
Director, CEO
Ken has been involved in technology industries within public, private and venture capital markets as a professional advisor and as a principal and investor for over 35 years, principally as the co-founder Cawkell Brodie LLP, a Vancouver-based law firm. He is a founder and CEO of Neurodyn Life Sciences Inc., a private biotech company focused on developing natural based products to promote brain health and healthy ageing. Ken is also a founder, director and officer of Alpha Cognition Inc., a Vancouver-based biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, product candidates targeting Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
kcawkell@neurodyn.ca
+ 1 604 619 0990
Director, CSO
Denis is a co-founder of Neurodyn Life Sciences (NLS), and has acted as NLS’s Chief Scientific Officer since that time. Also a co-founder of Alpha Cognition Inc., he assumed the role of Chief Scientific Officer at ACI in 2017. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the development and characterization of animal models of neurological diseases, and 7 years of early-stage Central Nervous System clinical development experience. At NLS he was responsible for overseeing the development of Cerbella and its clinical evaluation. He is a grant recipient of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the USAMRMC, and has received funding from numerous Government agencies for research and product development programs.
dgkay@neurodyn.ca
+ 1 902 314 0776