NRG Therapeutics Announces Senior Appointments as it Advances NRG5051 Towards First-in-Human Clinical Studies

STEVENAGE, United Kingdom, Oct. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRG Therapeutics Ltd. (“NRG”), an innovative neuroscience company targeting a novel mechanism to address mitochondrial dysfunction, is pleased to announce expansion of its team with the addition of three senior appointments in newly created roles: Sarah Almond as VP of Translational Biology; David Brocklebank as Director of Clinical Operations; and Kathryn Oliver as Director of Project Management.

NRG has identified a novel regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) which is essential for pore opening and amenable to small molecule inhibition. This breakthrough has enabled the company to develop a new class of small molecule mPTP inhibitors which are designed to penetrate the brain effectively when taken orally. First-in-human studies of its lead development candidate NRG5051 are on track to commence in early 2026.

At NRG, Sarah Almond will be responsible for preclinical translational biology and will support the clinical biomarker strategy; David Brocklebank will be responsible for clinical operations and will support delivery of the phase 1 and 2 clinical trials; and Kathryn Oliver will provide project management support for NRG’s clinical asset NRG5051 and preclinical pipeline.

The team expansion follows NRG’s recent £50m series B financing led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) in a syndicate of leading international life science venture investors that also included British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Criteria Bio Ventures alongside existing investors Omega Funds and Brandon Capital. The new funds provide runway for completion of a Phase 2 clinical proof of concept study of NRG5051 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neuron disease (MND), while also generating meaningful clinical data in Parkinson’s patients through a Phase 1b study.

NRG Therapeutics’ co-founder and CEO Neil Miller said,
“I am delighted to welcome Sarah, David and Kathryn to the team. Their combined skills and expertise will enable us to efficiently progress #NRG5051 through first-in-human clinical trials and into a PoC in #ALS/#MND, and to lay the ground for development in other indications including #Parkinson’s. They join us at a pivotal time as we seek to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of NRG’s first-in-class #mPTP inhibitors as disease modifying medicines for neurodegenerative diseases.”

NRG operates a semi-virtual business model, with an in-house R&D leadership and operations team in Stevenage, UK complemented by the expertise of experienced drug-discovery outsourcing partners. These new appointments grow the team to 11 including the three founders.

New appointee bios

Sarah Almond - VP of Translational Biology - brings three decades of scientific experience gained in biotechs and big pharma with a focus on CNS drug discovery. She has a strong record of advancing small-molecule programs from early discovery through IND and into clinical development. Most recently she was Head of Pharmacology at Astellas ESM-UK and prior to that at Mission Therapeutics supporting its Parkinson’s disease project into Phase I, guiding translational strategy and biomarker development. Earlier career experience includes at Charles River Laboratories, Takeda, AstraZeneca, and Merck. She has an BSc in Cell Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Leicester and a MSc in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Hertfordshire.

David Brocklebank - Director of Clinical Operations – is a clinical operations specialist with 37 years’ industry experience across all stages of clinical development including senior roles in Clinical Operations and Project Management at Shire Pharmaceuticals, Kissei Pharma Europe, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Takeda and Ono Pharma UK. Most recently he was Director, Clinical Operations at Kynos Therapeutics and prior to that at Outpost Medicine. In his early career he was a pharmacist in the NHS. He has a BPharm degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Pharmacy) from the University of Bradford and an MRPharmS in Hospital Pharmacy from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Kathryn Oliver - Director of Project Management - brings 15 years' experience in biotech drug discovery and development having transitioned from a career as a medicinal chemist into project management. Gained experience in biotech project management at Macomics and RxCelerate following a period in the NHS. She has scientific research experience in industry from roles at Cellzome, Cambridge Biotechnology and UCB Pharma. She has an BSc in Chemistry with Industry from the University of Sheffield.

Media enquiries (for NRG Therapeutics)
Sue Charles, Charles Consultants - +44 7968 726585 sue@charles-consultants.com

About NRG Therapeutics – https://www.nrgtherapeutics.com

NRG Therapeutics is a neuroscience drug discovery company building a pipeline of disease-modifying mitochondrial therapeutics to slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease (MND).

The company’s pre-clinical pipeline of small molecule assets is based on inhibiting the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) through a novel mechanism of action. Inhibition of the mPTP has been shown to protect neurones, reduce neuroinflammation and improve motor function in pre-clinical disease models. Its lead asset, NRG5051, has completed IND-enabling studies and is on track to enter the clinic in early 2026.

Based at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC), UK, NRG Therapeutics is a private company with equity investment from Brandon Capital, British Business Bank, Criteria Bio Ventures, Dementia Discovery Fund, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, Omega Funds and Parkinson’s UK. The company has also received awards from Innovate UK (Biomedical Catalyst Award), The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Target ALS and The ALS Association to support its innovative R&D programmes.

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