Grant to help fast-track startup’s Alzheimer’s drug development

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – A Purdue University-affiliated startup is receiving a $2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. Neurodon, a biotech startup located in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana, says the funding will help fast-track molecules that could improve memory and reduce Alzheimer’s disease neurodegeneration.

The Neurodon team is working with scientists at Purdue and Northwestern University on targeted neuroprotective molecules that it says have been shown to improve memory and cognition in preclinical models of Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are on a mission to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and do not plan to stop until we succeed,” said Russell Dahl, chief executive officer of Neurodon. “This grant will help us move forward and much closer to human trials.”

Purdue says the Phase II grant comes after team members successfully completed the Phase I work, where they narrowed down the molecules to select a few of the most promising candidates to help Alzheimer’s patients.

“We have brought together scientists and researchers from Purdue and Northwestern who have the expertise to move this forward and eventually provide new options for patients and their families,” said Dahl.

Dahl will work closely with the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience.

Purdue says Neurodon is working toward discovering neuroprotective drugs. Dahl and his team research treatments to different cell death illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.