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 26,689,872million 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.

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.

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.

Contact 
Simon Glerup, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Draupnir Bio
Email: glerup@draupnir.bio
Line Skouboe, Communications Advisor, Innovation Fund Denmark Tel.: +45 61 90 50 39 | Email: line.skouboe@innofond.dk

Facts
Investment from Innovation Fund Denmark: DKK 26,7 million
Total budget: DKK 36,4 million
Duration: 3 years
Official title: DESYNA - Degradation of Extracellular α-SYNuclein Aggregates

About the partners
Draupnir Bio is a Danish biotechnology company harnessing the natural machinery of the lysosome to develop degraders of extracellular disease-causing proteins – the next frontier of targeted protein degradation (TPD). Principal Investigator is CSO Simon Gleup.

Led by a highly experienced team of pharma and biotech industry leaders, the company was spun out from Aarhus University, Denmark together with the Max-Planck Society. Backed by a syndicate of leading investors, including the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), Gilde Healthcare Partners, Inkef Capital, Novo Holdings and MP Healthcare Venture Management, Draupnir is headquartered in Copenhagen, with research operations centered in Aarhus, Denmark.

Aarhus University is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities, recognised internationally for excellence in life sciences, health research and interdisciplinary innovation. The university plays a central role in advancing understanding and treatment of complex diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Research on the molecular mechanisms of disease, including α-synuclein aggregation, is led by the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and builds on expertise from Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO). This reflects the close integration of molecular biology and nanoscience at Aarhus University. The Department of Clinical Medicine leads the translating mechanistic insights into biologically relevant disease models. The Principal Investigators are Prof. Daniel Otzen and Ass. Prof. Nathalie Van Den Berge.