ATAI Life Sciences AG, a global biotech platform working to treat mental illnesses, has partnered with Neuronasal Inc. to develop a short-term treatment for mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) or concussion.

Neuronasal’s potentially ground-breaking, proprietary treatment includes the intranasal delivery of low doses of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to patients with acute mTBI. NAC is a well-established compound that has been used safely for decades, mostly as a mucolytic and to treat acute paracetamol intoxication. NAC is a precursor of cysteine, stimulating the synthesis of glutathione which in turn is the most abundant endogenous antioxidant, known to prevent oxidative damage to cellular components. Also, NAC itself has direct antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and free radical scavenging effects. NAC acts as an inhibitory glutamatergic modulator. All of these mechanisms are important in the context of mTBI.

Concussions and other forms of mTBI represent a significant unmet medical need. With no currently approved treatments, patients often suffer acute symptomatology including headache, nausea, fatigue, depression, anxiety and irritability.

“It’s clear that concussions and other mTBIs are more than just uncomfortable,” said Dr. Matthias Luz, chief medical officer of ATAI Life Sciences. “In the hours and days after trauma, these injuries trigger a pathophysiological cascade that can result in significant, life-limiting conditions if not adequately addressed.”

A challenge with the use of NAC is the blood-brain barrier which shields the brain from many drugs including NAC. When administered orally, several grams of NAC are required to reach the requisite drug concentrations in brain, doses which often cause significant side effects like nausea and diarrhea. Intravenous drug administration allows for slightly lower doses but requires several days of inpatient care and often leads to dizziness and headache.

Neuronasal’s intranasal approach enables direct nose-to-brain delivery, allowing for significantly lower doses and outpatient treatment. Given its apparent efficacy in disrupting the underlying neurochemical cascade, intranasal NAC has the potential to induce a fundamental shift in the natural course of the condition for hundreds of thousands of people.  

“Neuronasal has the potential to transform the way we treat those most at risk of mTBI, with applications in sports, the military, and daily life,” said Thomas Bradshaw, chief executive officer of Neuronasal. “Unsurprisingly, we’ve seen incredible interest from everyone from the Department of Defense to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.”