SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — Imagine a future in which earbuds could harness the power of the brain to regulate immune function. Such is the ambition of Nēsos, a startup that launched out of stealth this past week, following months of development.
The team at Nēsos is pioneering a new method for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis using neuroplasticity-altering electrical fields, delivered to the target brain areas via earbuds to help regulate immune function.
The company is also announcing $16.5 million in funding led by Mayfield Fund and results from its pilot clinical trial.
“A dysregulated immune function, resulting in chronic inflammation, is at the root of autoimmune disorders. Existing pharmaceutical treatments require systemic delivery, risking adverse side effects from broad immunosuppression. The potential to target a pathway that enables the brain to regulate immune function, using the brain’s electrical language, could provide a new treatment option without the side-effect profile of existing therapies.”
Introducing E-mmunotherapy: A new non-invasive, drug-free treatment option
E-mmunotherapy is the use of neuroplasticity-altering electrical fields to retrain the brain networks, part of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, that regulate immune function. Nēsos’ e-mmunotherapy treatments are delivered by purpose-designed earbuds, leveraging existing nerve pathways to reach the target brain regions.
Nēsos was co-founded by Konstantinos Alataris, Ph.D., and other neuroscientists that have successfully developed and commercialized electrical field treatments for neurological disorders. Dr. Alataris was the founder and CEO of Nevro (NYSE: NVRO), where he led product development and the initial commercialization of Senza, Nevro’s market-leading, neuromodulation implantable for the treatment of chronic pain. Nēsos is also guided and critically supported by clinical and scientific collaborators from top academic institutions, including Stanford, Vall d’Hebron, Harvard, Mount Sinai, Feinstein Institute, University Of California, San Diego (UCSD), and the University Of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
The first Nēsos e-mmunotherapy product — aimed at treating Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) — recently completed its multicenter, single-arm, 30-patient pilot clinical trial. The data, which show a meaningful reduction in RA disease severity, were recently presented at the American College of Rheumatology 2020.
“In this study the majority of patients show meaningful clinical benefit and symptom relief. The potential, if the data are replicated in larger controlled studies, for a new treatment option for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients is exciting. Especially a treatment that shows a differentiated efficacy/safety profile compared to existing therapies, by targeting a different inflammation regulation pathway.”
–Dr. Sara Marsal Barril, Scientific Director of Rheumatology at Hospital Vall d’Hebron, and study’s principal investigator
Two additional products, for neurological and psychiatric conditions are currently in early clinical testing. These three products could help to treat diseases afflicting more than 25 million patients in the US.
“The brain monitors and helps regulate immune function through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway,” explains Konstantinos Alataris, co-founder and CEO of Nēsos. “Our vision is to hack the brain – using its own electrical language – to restore the function of this pathway and create a new therapeutic option.”
“E-mmunotherapy is a pioneering and impactful field where building a company will require an operational track record, a reputation in the scientific community, and the ability to lead a movement,” said Ursheet Parikh, Mayfield partner and Nēsos board member. “Serial entrepreneur Konstantinos and his team have the perfect collective pedigree to tackle the opportunity and use a breakthrough in biology to deliver life-changing therapeutic options for millions.”
ABOUT NĒSOS
Leveraging neuroscience research, Nēsos aims to treat diseases with a drug-free, non-invasive approach dubbed e-mmunotherapeutics. The novel method uses neuroplasticity-altering electrical fields, delivered by a noninvasive brain interface to help the brain regain control of immune function. Nēsos is guided and supported by clinical and scientific collaborators from top academic institutions, including Stanford, Vall d’Hebron, Harvard, Mount Sinai, Feinstein Institute, University of California, San Diego, and the University of California, San Francisco.
Source: Nēsos
