South San Francisco-based Nura Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing neuroprotective small molecule therapies, has completed a USD 73.8 million Series B financing round alongside announcing clinical advances in both of its SARM1 inhibitor programs, including the first patient dosed in a Phase Ib/IIa ALS study.
The round was led by The Column Group, with participation from Euclidean Capital, Samsara BioCapital, and Sanofi Ventures. Proceeds will fund clinical proof-of-biology studies for Nura Bio’s two pipeline candidates, NB-4746 and NB-9402. No prior funding rounds were detailed in the available disclosure. The Column Group also co-leads the Series B of Atavistik Bio, another allosteric small molecule company, indicating continued investor conviction in mechanistically differentiated neurological and rare disease approaches.
SARM1 is a neuronally enriched NAD hydrolase that functions as a central driver of axon degeneration. Inhibiting SARM1 is designed to interrupt the axon-intrinsic metabolic cascade that leads to nerve fiber loss — an early pathological feature shared across ALS, peripheral neuropathy, and ocular neurological conditions. Axon degeneration precedes neuronal cell death in many of these diseases, and early intervention is considered a potential route to structural and functional neuroprotection.
Nura Bio’s lead candidate, NB-4746, is a first-generation oral, brain-penetrant, reversible orthosteric SARM1 inhibitor currently enrolling patients in a global Phase Ib/IIa ALS study. In a prior Phase I study in healthy volunteers, NB-4746 demonstrated a favorable safety profile and achieved target plasma and cerebrospinal fluid exposure levels — a meaningful pharmacokinetic milestone for a CNS-targeted agent. The company has now dosed the first ALS patient in the Phase Ib/IIa study, which is designed to generate clinical proof-of-biology data.
The second candidate, NB-9402, represents a mechanistically differentiated approach. It is an oral, covalent, irreversible, allosteric SARM1 inhibitor — meaning it binds SARM1 at a site distinct from the active site and forms a permanent bond, potentially enabling longer-lasting target suppression with less frequent dosing. NB-9402 has entered a Phase Ia first-in-human study in healthy volunteers, which the company said is expected to complete in 2026. Preclinical data indicated high potency and durable efficacy across neurological disease models.
The SARM1 inhibitor field has attracted sustained attention from larger pharmaceutical players. Eli Lilly acquired Disarm Therapeutics in 2020 for USD 135 million upfront, with up to USD 1.225 billion in milestones, specifically to gain access to SARM1 inhibitors for peripheral neuropathy and ALS. Separately, Waltham, Massachusetts-based Sironax is advancing SIR2501, an allosteric SARM1 inhibitor that received US FDA Fast Track designation for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and is also being evaluated in ALS. Nura Bio’s differentiation rests on its two-asset strategy — a reversible orthosteric compound already under study in ALS patients, and a next-generation covalent allosteric agent entering first-in-human testing — which the company said positions it to comprehensively explore the therapeutic potential of SARM1 inhibition across neurological indications.
ALS remains a disease with limited disease-modifying options. The company said proceeds from the Series B will be directed toward clinical proof-of-biology studies for both programs, with the Phase Ib/IIa NB-4746 study representing the primary near-term catalyst. NB-9402’s Phase Ia healthy volunteer study is expected to complete this year, with subsequent steps in patient populations to follow.
Preclinical data support the potential of both candidates across diseases of the central, peripheral, and ocular nervous systems, suggesting a pipeline strategy that extends beyond ALS into broader neurodegeneration. Nura Bio has not publicly disclosed specific timelines for advancing either compound into indications beyond ALS.
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