This week, we're shifting our focus from the lab bench to the lifeline behind it all—funding the science that drives discovery. We've officially launched fundraising efforts on two fronts, and your support could directly shape the future of ALS research and treatment.

Through our nonprofit initiative, Precision ALS, Powered by the Cortexa Fund, we’re raising $150,000 for critical early-stage research on ALS patient-derived motor neurons. These tax-deductible donations, made via Mission Edge, will help us validate our therapeutic target—calcium-permeable AMPA receptors—and publish findings that benefit the broader scientific community.

At the same time, for those looking to back us as a biotech startup, direct gifts to Cortexa Therapeutics will accelerate our progress on synthesis, IP, and preclinical development—bringing us one step closer to therapeutic breakthroughs.

Both paths power the same mission. One funds the science, the other fuels the solution.

Cortexa Progress: People First, Then Paperwork. This week, it’s all about momentum. Cortexa deepened ties with aligned consultants and foundations who share our urgency to tackle ALS head-on. Our science is strong—now we’re focused on building the relationships that will carry it from lab to life. Strategic alignment, trust, and mission clarity are our real force multipliers.

Research Spotlight: Why CP-AMPARs Matter More Than Ever

A new study published in Nature underscores the central role of CP-AMPARs—calcium-permeable AMPA receptors—in shaping how inhibitory brain cells process information. It’s not about changing the brain’s wiring, but how it tunes the signal.

This supports what we’ve been building at Cortexa: modulating CP-AMPARs isn’t just safe—it could sharpen function. That’s a major breakthrough for ALS and neurodegeneration. Calcium overload isn’t just toxic—it disrupts network precision. This study gives us more than validation. It gives us direction.

Cortexa Therapeutics Files Provisional Patent for Dual-Targeted ALS Therapy. This week, Cortexa Therapeutics reached a major milestone by filing a provisional patent for our dual-targeted approach to treating ALS. Our novel strategy focuses on blocking both CP-AMPAR and NR2B-NMDAR receptors—key drivers of calcium-mediated excitotoxicity in motor neurons. We also completed our trademark filing, marking an important step in building our identity as a biotech startup committed to neurodegenerative disease solutions.

In our latest research spotlight, we explore a 2023 Nature Medicine study demonstrating how restoring ADAR2 RNA editing reversed ALS progression in mice—further validating our therapeutic focus on calcium-permeable AMPA receptors.

A New Phase of Execution: Funding, Focus, and Forward Motion: Cortexa Therapeutics is entering a pivotal stage—where disciplined execution meets scientific clarity. We're no longer chasing headlines; we're building a lean, data-driven pipeline focused on one thing: impact.

Our immediate goal? Generate robust in vitro data on a set of novel compounds targeting a mechanism increasingly implicated in neurodegeneration. Breakthroughs start here.

This week’s focus: fiscal sponsorship, neurotoxicity, and how your support can help rewrite the future of ALS treatment. We’re partnering with Mission Edge to accept tax-deductible donations—a major leap forward in how we fund research without becoming a full nonprofit. Every dollar will go straight to the lab, not to overhead or salaries. We’re building toward the synthesis and testing of new analogs—first steps in an IND-enabling campaign. The goal? Intercept neurodegeneration at its root.

Cortexa is filing a provisional patent and incorporating as a C-Corp, marking major milestones in our mission to fast-track neuroprotective therapies for ALS. We're also first in line for a DOD ALSRP grant, advancing our approach targeting calcium dysregulation as a root cause.

Cortexa Therapeutics shares major updates: a CNS-focused medicinal chemist joins the team, business development gains momentum, and new research on cortical hyperexcitability in ALS informs our evolving strategy. Stay connected to our mission to transform ALS treatment through innovative science and community-driven progress.

Neuroscience insights, startup updates, and what I’m thinking about this week. We’re moving fast. This week, we’ve been finalizing our shortlist of medicinal chemists to begin designing next-generation analogs based on our early scaffold work.

From Diagnosis to Discovery: Nathan Cole’s Fight Against ALS with Cortexa Therapeutics. With a mission grounded in urgency, resilience, and innovation, Cortexa is developing precision therapies to restore balance to the nervous system and bring hope to families facing ALS.