NRG Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Claus Sundgreen M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

STEVENAGE, United Kingdom, Aug. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRG Therapeutics Ltd. (“NRG”), a clinical stage neuroscience company developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics that rectify mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, is pleased to announce the appointment of Claus Sundgreen M.D. as chief medical officer (CMO), effective 1 August 2026.

A recognized leader in neuroscience drug development with particular expertise in ALS, Dr Sundgreen brings over 25 years of clinical leadership with experience spanning translational medicine and all phases of clinical development from first-in-human studies through registrational trials. He has a proven track record of advancing innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and orphan diseases.

Dr Sundgreen will lead NRG’s clinical development strategy including overseeing the completion of the ongoing Phase 1 first-in-human trial of its lead candidate, NRG5051, and the planning and execution of a Phase 2 PoC trial in ALS, commencing in 2027.

NRG Therapeutics’ co-founder and CEO Neil Miller said, “I am delighted to welcome Claus to the NRG team as our CMO. His deep experience in neurodegenerative disease drug development, particularly in ALS, together with his strong clinical and regulatory expertise, and connections within the ALS patient community, will be invaluable as we advance NRG5051 through early clinical development for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.”

NRG5051 is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable and CNS-penetrant next-generation inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), acting through a novel undisclosed mitochondrially-localized protein regulator.

Prior to joining NRG, Dr Sundgreen held senior medical leadership positions across biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in Europe and the United States, providing strategic and operational leadership for innovative therapeutic programs. This has included roles at HD Immune, Abcuro, VectorY, Tikomed, Orphazyme, uniQure and NeuroSearch. His earlier career included Medical Director roles at Schering Plough and Nycomed, following 10 years in medical practice as physician, research fellow and senior registrar. He has an MD, Medicine from the University of Copenhagen and a Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine from the Karolinska Institute.

Claus Sundgreen, CMO of NRG Therapeutics said, “I am impressed by the deep scientific understanding behind NRG’s pipeline of mPTP inhibitors and excited by the potential of NRG5051 as a disease-modifying therapeutic for sporadic ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. With the Phase 1 trial of NRG5051 progressing well, we have already begun engaging with clinicians and the ALS community to help shape the design of our Phase 2 PoC trial of NRG5051. This work is supported by very exciting preclinical data demonstrating robust efficacy of NRG5051 in ALS in vivo models, including a profound reduction in neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of neuronal injury.”

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

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

The Company’s 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 neurons, reduce neuroinflammation and improve motor function in pre-clinical disease models. Its lead candidate, NRG5051, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

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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