Groundbreaking Danish research project launches to cure Parkinson’s disease

A new research project aims to develop the world’s first therapy to eliminate and prevent the spread of a toxic brain protein that drives Parkinson’s disease. Innovation Fund Denmark has invested DKK 26,689,872 million in the project.

Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing brain disorder, affecting 22,500 Danes and over 10 million people worldwide, with global cases expected to double by 2050. Current treatments only provide symptomatic relief and are unable to halt the condition’s devastating progression. Patients gradually lose control of their movements with a consequent reduced quality of life. The growing number of cases is further straining healthcare systems and present an ever-increasing cost to Society.

Now, a groundbreaking Danish research project has the potential to change that trajectory entirely. The Innovation Fund Denmark has invested DKK 26,7million in the project.

A toxic protein at the center

The DESYNA project, (Degradation of Extracellular α-SYNuclein Aggregates), is focused on the development of an innovative new therapy targeting a small protein in the brain called alpha-synuclein (α-syn). While α-syn plays a key role in normal neurotransmission, the protein is notorious for misfolding and clumping into toxic aggregates, which build up inside cells, causing neurodegeneration, and outside cells, spreading the disease to healthy cells. Accumulation of α-syn aggregates is a key driver of Parkinson’s disease, sustaining neuroinflammation and promoting neurodegeneration. The therapy under development is designed to target and completely degrade these rogue protein aggregates, preventing their cell-to-cell spread and halting disease progression.

Dansih technology and research at the forefront

The project combines the cutting-edge protein degradation technology SORTAC from Danish biotechnology company, Draupnir Bio, with Aarhus University's pioneering research in neurodegeneration and the role of α-syn in Parkinson's disease. The dual-mechanism therapy in development will bind to the toxic protein aggregates and then direct them for destruction within brain cells, inducing their clearance and preventing their spread as they travel from neuron to neuron during disease progression.

- This breakthrough project positions Denmark at the forefront of Parkinson’s disease research, with a bold strategy that offers hope for a cure for patients living with this terrible disease, says Simon Glerup, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Draupnir Bio, Associate Professor in neurobiology at Aarhus University and DESYNA Project Leader.

- Our therapy would be the first in the world to specifically remove and prevent the spread of a toxic protein build-up in the brain that is proven to sustain disease progression.

Professor Daniel Otzen, Aarhus University, Department of Molecular Biomedicine and Genetics, and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and DESYNA Project Partner, added:

- We know that aggregation of α-syn is central to the progression of Parkinson’s disease. So, by finding new ways to target this process, we aim to go beyond managing symptoms and instead change the course of the disease itself. This approach has the potential to open the door to entirely new treatments and, importantly, to give people living with Parkinson’s disease, and their families, real hope for the future.

Together, Draupnir Bio and Aarhus University will develop both biologicals-based (injectables) and small molecule-based (traditional tablet form) options of the novel treatment over three years, with the goal of reaching preclinically-validated candidates for further development by 2029.

Facts

• Investment from Innovation Fund Denmark: DKK 26.7 million.
• Total budget: DKK 36.4 million.
• Duration: 3 years
• Project title: DESYNA - Degradation of Extracellular α-SYNuclein Aggregates

About the partners

Draupnir Bio

Draupnir Bio is a Danish biotech company that utilizes the cells' natural lysosomal machinery to develop degraders of extracellular disease-causing proteins – the next frontier in targeted protein degradation (TPD).

The company was founded by Aarhus University in collaboration with the Max Planck Society and is headquartered in Copenhagen with research activities in Aarhus. Draupnir Bio is backed by leading investors, including the Danish Export and Investment Fund (EIFO), Gilde Healthcare Partners, Inkef Capital, Novo Holdings and MP Healthcare Venture Management.

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is one of Europe's leading research-intensive universities and internationally recognized for its expertise within life science, health research and interdisciplinary innovation.

The university plays a central role in the development of new knowledge and treatments for complex diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, with research into the molecular mechanisms of the diseases anchored at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), while the Department of Clinical Medicine translates the insights into biologically relevant disease models.