Karolinska Development’s portfolio company Umecrine Cognition receives grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Karolinska Development AB

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STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – May 5, 2025. Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) today announces that its portfolio company Umecrine Cognition has been awarded a research grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) amounting to USD 420,000. The grant will finance preclinical studies to evaluate the potential treatment effect of golexanolone in Parkinson’s disease.

Umecrine Cognition is developing a new class of drugs to alleviate cognitive symptoms. The company's drug candidate golexanolone has demonstrated a positive impact on non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disorders and cognitive impairments, in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. The grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation will support further preclinical studies to confirm golexanolone’s treatment effect on Parkinson’s-related sleep dysfunction and cognitive impairments, as well as evaluate the drug candidate’s effect on disease progression in several disease models.

The grant is awarded to the collaboration between Umecrine Cognition and the principal investigator, Professor Gilberto Fisone Head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Circuit Neuropharmacology, and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, at Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease most noticeably characterized by deteriorating motor functions. However, non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disorders and cognitive impairments, emerge before the onset of physical symptoms and have, historically, been overlooked due to a lack of scientific and clinical insights. While current treatments target motor dysfunction, there are no approved pharmaceutical therapies for non-motor symptoms.

"The Michael J. Fox Foundation is the world’s largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s research, and the grant represents a significant acknowledgment and validation of golexanolone’s potential in treating this progressive and life-restricting disease. The funding enables further research on golexanolone as a novel treatment option for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease, an area with high medical need,” says Johan Dighed, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Karolinska Development.

Karolinska Development's ownership in Umecrine Cognition amounts to 73%.

For further information, please contact:

Viktor Drvota, CEO, Karolinska Development AB
Phone: +46 73 982 52 02, e-mail: viktor.drvota@karolinskadevelopment.com 

Johan Dighed, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Karolinska Development AB
Phone: +46 70 207 48 26, e-mail: johan.dighed@karolinskadevelopment.com

TO THE EDITORS

About Karolinska Development AB

Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) is a Nordic life sciences investment company. The company focuses on identifying breakthrough medical innovations in the Nordic region that are developed by entrepreneurs and leadership teams. The company invests in the creation and growth of companies that advance these assets into commercial products that are designed to make a difference to patient’s lives while providing an attractive return on investment to shareholders.

Karolinska Development has access to world-class medical innovations at the Karolinska Institutet and other leading universities and research institutes in the Nordic region. The company aims to build companies around scientists who are leaders in their fields, supported by experienced management teams and advisers, and co-funded by specialist international investors, to provide the greatest chance of success.

Karolinska Development has a portfolio of eleven companies targeting opportunities in innovative treatment for life-threatening or serious debilitating diseases.

The company is led by an entrepreneurial team of investment professionals with a proven track record as company builders and with access to a strong global network.

For more information, please visit www.karolinskadevelopment.com.

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