About us

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

Science

A breakthrough strategy to reverse blood-brain barrier leakage

Glunozumab program: development of a monoclonal antibody counteracting the neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes implicated in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases by restoring the physiological function of the blood-brain barrier

Counteracting neuroinflammation to tackle neurodegeneration

In the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, local glutamate levels induce an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier via NMDA receptor-mediated signals, exacerbated by overexpressed endogenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) binding to the GluN1 subunit of NMDA receptors and triggering their overactivation.

As a result, intracellular calcium and nitric oxide levels increase. Matrix metalloproteinase and Rho-kinase are upregulated and phosphorylation of cytoskeleton and tight junction proteins results in their degradation. This elicits blood-brain barrier disruption, allowing immune cells to infiltrate the brain parenchyma.

This leads to 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:

POC studies in Stroke

2023 (submitted)

Translational Stroke Research 2022

Cell Death & Disease 2016

Neuropharmacol 2013

Stroke journal 2011

Stroke journal 2010

POC studies in Multiple Sclerosis

JNeurosci 2020

Brain journal 2016

Cell Death & Disease 2016

POC studies in Parkinson’s Disease

Cell Reports (to be published)

Pipeline

Monoclonal antibody targeting the GluN1 subunit of NMDAr

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

Dr. Nathalie DELETAGE, PhD

Senior Program Manager, Preclinical R&D

Dr. Flavie LESEPT, PhD

Program Manager, Preclinical R&D

Dr. Fanny POTZEHA, PhD

Project Manager, Preclinical R&D

Dr. Jean-Baptiste BERTRAND, PhD

Head of Clinical Operations

Dr. François FOSSIEZ, PhD

Head of CMC

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

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