About us

Lys Therapeutics, first-in-class biotherapies against neurological diseases

Science

A breakthrough strategy to reverse blood-brain barrier leakage

Anti-GluN1 monoclonal antibody: counteracting the neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes implicated in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases by restoring the physiological function and integrity of the blood-brain barrier

Cytoprotection approach: counteracting neuroinflammation to tackle neurodegeneration

In the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, hyperactivation of endothelial NMDA receptors (NMDAR) by overexpressed tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) leads to tight junction degradation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction, allowing transmigration of inflammatory cells and toxic molecules into the brain parenchyma resulting in severe neuroinflammation, a primary cause of neuronal cell death.

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A unique mechanism of action: a CNS drug which does not need to cross the blood-brain barrier

Lys Therapeutics’ main drug-candidate is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody displaying a groundbreaking mechanism of action counteracting these mechanisms by specifically preventing inside blood vessels the binding of tPA on the GluN1 subunit of NMDA receptors, without blocking the physiological function of NMDAr.

By inhibiting this interaction, NMDAr can operate normally, haltering downstream deleterious cellular pathways. Tight junctions are reestablished, endothelial cells return to their healthy state and the blood-brain barrier function is restored, protecting the brain from further neuroinflammatory and subsequent neurodegenerative cascades.

Scientific publications (anti-GluN1 / glunomab antibody):

POC studies in Stroke

2023 (submitted)

Translational Stroke Research

Cell Death & Disease

Neuropharmacol

Stroke journal

POC studies in Multiple Sclerosis

JNeurosci

Brain journal

Cell Death & Disease

POC studies in Parkinson’s Disease

2023 (in preparation)

Cell Reports (to be published)

Pipeline

Glunozumab drug development program: from a mouse to a humanized & maturated anti-GluN1 antibody targeting the restoration of NMDAr function

Meet our team

Dr. Manuel BLANC, PhD, MBA

Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, President of the Strategic Committee

Philippe DUJARDIN

Co-founder, Chief Financial & Development Officer, member of the Strategic Committee

Pr. Denis VIVIEN, PhD, PU-PH

Chief Scientific Officer, President of the Scientific Advisory Board

Anne-Cecile APPOURCHAUX

Engineer, R&D

Dr. Jean-Baptiste BERTRAND, PhD

Head of Clinical Operations

Dr. Nathalie DELETAGE, PhD

Senior Program Manager, Preclinical R&D

Dr. François FOSSIEZ, PhD

Head of CMC

Dr. Jordan GUYON, PharmD

Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Flavie LESEPT, PhD

Program Manager, Preclinical R&D

Dr. Fanny POTZEHA, PhD

Project Manager, Preclinical R&D

Werner KLINGER

Head of IT and data protection

Strategic Board

Dr. Pierre BELICHARD, PhD, MBA

Member of the Strategic Board

Dr. Pierre MORGON, PharmD, LL.M, MBA

Member of the Strategic Board

Philippe BISSAY, MBA

Member of the Strategic Board

Dr. Thibault HONEGGER, PhD

Member of the Strategic Board

Scientific Advisory Board

Neurovascular diseases

President of the SAB: Pr. Denis Vivien (PhD, PU-PH), France, co-inventor of Glunomab & expert of tPA, head of the Research Institute “Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandie”

Pr. Diederik DIPPEL (MD, PhD), the Netherlands, neurologist, co-director of Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam

Pr. Joan MONTANER (MD, PhD), Spain, neurologist, head of Neurovascular Research at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute

Pr. Richard Macrez (MD, PhD), France, co-inventor of Glunomab, Professor and emergency physician, head of the Emergency Unit at Caen-Normandie Hospital

Dr. Désiré COLLEN (MD, PhD), Belgium, inventor of rtPA (alteplase) still the most effective drug for thrombolytic therapy of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke

Pr. Yannick BÉJOT (MD, PhD), France, neurologist, head of Neurology at Dijon-Bourgogne hospital

Via BB@C Institute: Pr. Eng Lo (MD, PhD), USA, neurologist, Professor of Neurology and Radiology, Harvard Medical School, and Research Staff, Massachusetts General Hospital

Via BB@C Institute: Pr. Martin Dichgans (MD, PhD), Germany, neurologist, Director of the Institute of Stroke and Dementia Research (Medical Center of the University of Munich), head of the World Stroke Organization

Scientific Advisory Board

Neurodegenerative disorders

Pr. Werner POEWE (MD), Austria, Director of the Department of Neurology at Innsbruck Medical University in Innsbruck. Main research interests in the field of Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders. Professor Listed among top 1% of ‚highly cited researchers‘ in neuroscience.

Pr. Olivier Rascol (MD, PhD), Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University Hospital in Toulouse, France and Chair of the Movement Disorder Society-European Section (MDS-ES). Member of the editorial board of Lancet Neurology, Neurology and the European Journal of Neurology.

Pr. Pierre-Olivier Couraud (PhD), France, Head of the Institut Cochin (INSERM, CNRS, University of Paris, France), Chairman of the INSERM Scientific Advisory Board and Vice President of the French multiple sclerosis foundation ARSEP.