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Neurotec Pharma wins Senén Vilaró award for best innovative company

By 19 de December de 2012November 18th, 2020No Comments
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Marco Pugliese, CEO of Neurotec Pharma, receiving the award. Source: UB.
 19.12.2012

Neurotec Pharma wins Senén Vilaró award for best innovative company

Neurotec Pharma, based at the Barcelona Science Park, won the fifth edition of the 'Senen Vilaró Award for best innovative company, "one of four prizes awarded each year by the Social Council of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG). The biotech directed by Marco Pugliese,- which focuses on the search for new therapeutic products for diseases of the central nervous system is one of the leading companies with more growth potential in the biotechnology sector. The awards ceremony took place yesterday, Tuesday 18 December at the Great Hall of the University of Barcelona.


Neurotec Pharma, founded in 2006 as a spin-off of the University of Barcelona, stems from the research conducted by three researchers from the Neurochemistry Group of the Faculty of Medicine, UB Marco Pugliese, J Manuel Rodriguez and Nicole Mahy. Biotechnology aims to develop new products that focus their therapeutic mechanism of action on the modulation and inhibition of microglial cells, which play a central role in the pathogenesis and progression of many diseases of the central nervous system.

The company’s business model is based on the repositioning of drugs (reprofiling)-the development of new therapeutic applications of drugs already known, from preclinical to clinical phase II in order to increase their value and conduct the transfer to third parties through licensing and marketing. Drug repositioning as a business model has a distinct advantage: reducing the time and costs of development and less regulatory risk, and since these are known drugs , their safety profiles are available and have passes toxicology preclinical validation.

In 2011 Neurotec Pharma-together with the biotech Advancell- started phase II clinical trials of a novel oral drug for multiple sclerosis (NT-KO-003), becoming in this way the second company that was created withing the Spanish university setting that brings to proof of concept in patients of a drug derived from this research. Neurotec Pharma is also developing a second drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with companies Bionure, PaloBiofarma, and Advancell Natac. The results of research of Neurotec led to two international patent applications. Neurotec Pharma is developing a drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in collaboration with the companies Bionure, PaloBiofarma, Natac and Advancell. The results of the research of Neurotec led to two international patent applications.

Neurotec has the financial backing from venture capital firms Inveready Seed Capital and Caixa Capital Risc and has also received public funding through various ACC1Ó Programs (Government of Catalonia), the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI ), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Subprogram INNPACTO), the National Innovation Company (ENISA) and Genoma España. The company’s customers are large multinational pharmaceutical companies with an interest and expertise in diseases of the central nervous system.

The goals of the Awards of the Social Council of the UB and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) are promoting the return to society of the knowledge acquired throughout the years of study and research, assessing the importance of transfer of technology, knowledge and innovation, fostering the creation of innovative, knowledge-based companies, recognizing the innovative capacity generated and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship in the university setting..